A Midsummer's Nightmare
by Das Lieblingsfach
Summary: Tivona O'Dwyer is a Manhattan drug-dealer who accidentally stumbles into Halloween Town. When she begins to focus her efforts on seducing the pumpkin king, things get a little weird. Eventual, awkward  Jack/OC/Sally triangle.
1. Preface Author's Note

**A Midsummer's Nightmare**

_Preface_

Hi there!

Thanks for choosing to give this odd little story a chance. I really appreciate it, so I won't take up too much of your time with this Author's Note.

I really just wanted to provide some background towards my inspiration to write this, explain-or at least hint blatantly- what I'm trying to parody, and provide whatever warnings I couldn't in the summary. In fact, let's get those out of the way right now so those of you who definitely won't enjoy this can go ahead and GTFO. The warnings are as follows-

The "T" Rating is for language (I'm probably going to use the whole spectrum of it folks…yes, in a Nightmare Before Christmas Fanfic…), sexual content (nothing really graphic or explicit, just the sort of suggestion you might hear on a sitcom), drug use (that's probably an obvious one. Let me just establish that it's a plot point that will only be in this following prologue and nowhere else. I think you all will be either eternally grateful or extremely, avidly disappointed that I'm not having my OC deal in Halloween Town. IDK, depends on who you are, I suppose) and some mild violence (again, nothing in-your-face-explicit, and it'll probably only stick around for this prologue).

With that out of the way, let me start off with a brief summary of how/where/why I got the idea to write this story. About a year ago, I started getting interested in NBC fanfic. TNBC is a movie I have loved since I was four, but I only recently realized (for whatever reason) that I could now read droves of fanfic about it if I so wished, and that somehow made me, as a 20-year-old woman, really excited. So read I did, ladies and gentleman, and many of the fics I found were enjoyable and plausible within the NBC universe.

I _did _notice something a bit odd, however.

I will also take this moment to establish that I am not unfamiliar with Mary-Sue or her antics. Being a Lord of The Rings/Harry Potter fan, I encountered her a number of times (often in the arms of Legolas or Draco, but I don't think any character was spared). It never occurred to me that Mary Sue might want to come hang out in this particular fandom. There aren't really a whole lot of hot, eligible bachelors in NBC, after all. But lo and behold, she did appear, quite often. Want to guess who her love interest was?

Nope, not a grown-up Lock (the only real plausible alternative I could think of). It was _Jack, _as in Jack the _skeleton_. This took me by surprise for a number of reasons, most specifically, the fact that Jack is a _skeleton _and lacks certain attributes that would make him a worthy contender as a lover to a human woman (how these Sues often appeared, oddly enough). But I do understand that Chris Sarandon has a sexy voice, and sometimes that's all it takes.

Nevertheless, I found many of these stories to be quite humorous, though not always for reasons the author had intended. It was always fun for me to guess how the author was going to get Sally out of the way, because the tactics varied from just pretending Sally never existed to making Sally a total OOC bitch that forces herself on Jack and ends up getting b&hammer from Halloween Town. Seeing a lovable, relatable character like Sally get treated so badly was disgustingly amusing, not to mention that it was done in the name of getting Jack together with a _human _girl.

So, if you think about it, my story isn't that strange in comparison to some of the others out there. What I aim to do with this fic _is _poke some fun at the Jack/OC stories that plague the net nowadays, but not in a overt, face-rubbing sort of way. I want this to be a legitimate story in its own right with some satirical undertones, nothing more and nothing less. I'm hoping that even those of you who know you're being made fun of will enjoy the tale anyway. It's all in good fun, honest.

For my last warning, I will admit that the ending of this prologue is pretty sloppy. It was late at night, I wanted to be done with the opening sequence, and I rushed it. I know it's not the best writing tactic, but I'm wanting to put my efforts towards the actual plot and I needed to get this first part out of the way so that I could start on it.

So, there you have it, folks. I do hope you find this story enjoyable, and don't forget to leave helpful comments to let me know how I can make it better.

Thank you! =D

Das Lieblingsfach


	2. Prologue Odd Jobs

**A Midsummer's Nightmare**

_Prologue_

Yes, that is 'I'm A Hex Girl' you're seeing (later in this chapter) from that one Scooby Doo movie. I could say I used it because it was recognizable, but the truth is, I just didn't feel like inventing my own song. Sry guys.

* * *

She lived for afternoons like this one.

While lounging back in her favorite, tattered armchair, she kept her legs propped up on an old, equally-as-tattered trunk. Her left hand held a cigarette between two delicate fingers that she would occasionally bring daintily to her awaiting, lip-gloss-smeared lips. A trashy reality show of her choosing would be playing out on her pilfered TV, while the few windows her apartment had would be open to allow the dry, late September air inside. After enduring endless summers sans AC, she probably appreciated the fall cool-down more than most.

This moment was not long to last, she knew, for her brief presence would be required at the intersection of A and East 11th in 15 minutes. She would then have to head with the subsequent earnings to the nail salon for a long overdue mani-pedi, and perhaps to the market after that to get something for dinner. She didn't like the idea of putting an end to her blissfully inert day, but such would have to be the nature of the beast if she wanted money and to keep looking pretty.

With a heavy sigh, she lifted herself from the comforting embrace of her armchair and sauntered lazily over to her dining room table. Her cigarette still pinched between her index and forefinger, she picked up the 9mm Glock that lay casually in the middle and stuffed it into the holster in the side of her inner-jacket. Following this was her wallet, cell phone, lighter and cigarette pack, all of which were secured in the opposite jacket pockets. Finally, she stuck the somewhat neglected cigarette in her mouth, and knelt down to take out two of the floorboards. She then proceeded to take two stuffed bags that resided below and place them in a spacious pocket near the Glock. She replaced the boards, got to her feet, grabbed her key ring, and set off for her 2:45 appointment.

* * *

As she sat immovable between stacks of papers, envelopes, and perpetually-ringing phones that never seemed to give it a rest, Sally began to ponder the wisdom in accepting the position of Jack's personal assistant.

Truthfully, it wasn't the first time in the course of her 9 month employment that she had considered this. In fact, putting her judgment into question had happened as soon as a few days after hire, when the consequences for Jack's theft of Santa Claus' identity came into full fruition. For nearly two months afterward, Sally found herself in a constant struggle to help Jack right everything he had done wrong. There were lawsuits against them to be handled, damage claims, and a somewhat hefty charge against Jack by the Holiday Council for identity theft- which he was, of course, very, very guilty of, good intentions or no.

It was of absolutely no help to her that Jack very often lacked due concern. He was much more inclined to indulge a hobby or make Halloween plans than handle harsh practicalities, and so this responsibility constantly landed on Sally's shoulders. When his presence was a dire necessity, however, Sally was forced to come up with clever tactics to trick him into involving himself. She simply couldn't handle all of these issues by herself. But more often than not it was just easier to leave him be and get done as much as she possibly could on her lonesome.

At this point in late September, the biggest issues leftover from the past Christmas had been more-or-less taken care of. However, this didn't mean Sally's workload was any less than what it always had been. She was now having to deal with Halloween Town's strictly domestic problems, and because October was fast approaching, these issues became much more frequent and needlessly complicated. Currently, she had been focusing her attentions on a feud between two groups of musicians, both of whom wanted to perform exclusively on Halloween. 'The Bones Brothers', the group that typically provided the music, was facing competition from 'Toil and Trouble', a set of witches that had recently become popular for their individual style of femme rock. Sally knew it was time to abandon her regretful thoughts and make an attempt to get Jack's final decision on the issue, something she should have forced out of him more than a week ago.

With a cathartic sigh, she pushed herself out of her desk chair and willingly sprinted away from the ringing phones and leaning paper stacks to Jack's personal study. It wasn't long before she heard the heavy guitar riffs of 'I'm a Hex Girl'-a hit of 'Toil and Trouble's- followed by Jack's crooning of _"I'm a Hex Girl and I'm gonna put a spell on you…" _coming from behind his closed doors. She hoped this was an indication of Jack's forthcoming decisiveness.

When she opened the heavy mahogany doors, she was greeted by the sight of the Pumpkin King leaning over a desk of crudely drawn Halloween plans, still singing and bobbing his skull rhythmically to the music.

"Jack," she called, attempting to overcome the ungodly volume of the song. The lack of acknowledgement on his part seemed to indicate that she was unsuccessful, and so she tried again, this time as loud as her lungs-and dignity- would allow. "_Jack…!_"

He heard this time, but instead of immediately switching the music off and facing her with professional stoicism as he typically did, he turned swiftly on his heel and eyed her slyly. As the song then went into the bridge, Jack began to slither his hands out in front of him in some sort of mockery of actually casting a spell, while looking right at her and continuing to sing along.

"_With this little cobweb potion, you'll fall into dark devotion…"_

"Jack, I really need to-" she attempted, only to be interrupted immediately by the next verse, and his seizing of her hands. When he got to "_I can change your whole direction," _he yanked Sally in close to him, causing the folders she had tucked under her arm to fly out. The charged chorus of "_I'm a hex girl," _soon returned, and Jack began swinging and twirling her violently around the room to the beat.

The sudden recklessness of this action took away any of the giddiness she might have experienced from dancing with Jack, and instead made her centrally concerned on having the moment end as soon as possible. When she got into arm's reach of the sound system's remote, she seized it and switched it off before Jack could throw her clear across the room once more.

"Sally!" he exclaimed with the same surprise as if he had just noticed her presence. "Why did you turn it off? Weren't we having fun?"

Sally feigned a grin and followed it up with a painful chuckle.

"Of course we were, Jack. But you do remember that you're payingme to spoil the fun so we can get work done, don't you?"

Jack laughed heartily and returned to his table of scattered plans.

"That's odd," he said with amused sarcasm. "I could have sworn I was paying _you_ to get the work done for _me, _so that _I_ could have fun. Am I mistaken?"

Because Jack's back was turned, Sally rolled her eyes.

"Probably not, Jack, but that's not important right now. All I need from you is your final decision on which band should perform this Halloween."

"Oh, alright," Jack sighed, focusing his attentions back on his former task. "Well, what are the choices?"

She supposed she shouldn't have been surprised that Jack had completely forgotten her constant mentions of the feud, but it didn't lessen her sudden compulsion to want to smack him in the back of the head with her discarded manila folder.

"Well, if you'll recall," she began, patiently as she could manage, as she knelt to gather the strewn papers. "There was something of a rivalry between 'Toil and Trouble' and 'The Bones Brothers' and I think they were hoping you'd clear the matter up."

Jack uncapped a marker and leaned into the desk as he began fixatedly scribbling on the parchment.

"Why can't they both perform? That seems like the obvious solution to me."

Sally continued to sweep papers back into the folder.

"_Again, _if you'll recall, both groups had an interest to play exclusively-"

"Then tell them they either play together or they don't play at all!" Jack exclaimed, finally turning around to face her. "Sally, I simply don't understand how an intelligent ragdoll like yourself can't come up with these solutions on your own-"

"It's because _you're _supposed to, Jack!" she interjected, more harsh than she had intended.

This momentary outburst seemed to silence the skeleton, and Sally could only stare fixedly at the mess of papers in ashamed regret.

"Oh…Sally, I'm sorry…"

Jack then knelt down to her level and began to assist in the effort to collect the papers into neat stacks.

"You're right," he conceded softly. "It _is _my responsibility. I've just been so swept up in plans, I guess I forgot my place…"

Sally continued to remain silent, even after their effort was complete. He helped her to her feet with a gentle hand and then graciously extended the remaining stack. She stuffed it furtively and quietly into the folder beneath her arm.

"It's been a long day…" she explained in a near mumble, refusing to meet his eye sockets.

Jack nodded in silent understanding.

Without another word, Sally turned sharply and exited the study, not neglecting to close the heavy doors behind her.

Upon returning to the noisy, cluttered desk, she sat down, cleared an open space with a few swipes of her hands and brought her head to rest face-down on the wood. She allowed the vibration and shrill call of the constant phone ring to course through her into oblivion. On a day like this, she needed a moment of absolute release, especially since it was only 2:45.

* * *

When she rounded the corner into the littered, greasy alley, she immediately saw him leaning up against the wall beside the dumpster. He had just begun to light his cigarette when he caught sight of her.

"_Heeey, _Vonie…" he greeted flirtatiously. "Always a sight for these sore eyes…"

She groaned audibly and allowed her eyes to make a clear revolution in her sockets, hopeful that the young Italian man before her would get the hint.

"Yeah, yeah, Tony…let's just make this quick. I don't have all day…"

Tony reached into his black wool hoodie and pulled out a fat bundle of dollars that he attempted to keep concealed in his fist.

"What, you think _my _time isn't precious?" he challenged. "I got places to go too, you know…"

She snorted as she withdrew a thick, brown-paper parcel from her own leather jacket.

"Right, like a boxcar with your sleazy friends to smoke the entirety of this. Well, don't let me keep you."

Simultaneously, their hands slid over one another, completing the discreet exchange.

She then thumbed through the collection of bills, confirming the amount, while Tony quickly jammed the parcel into the pocket of his sweater and kept an eye out.

"Looks good," she announced, putting the majority of the amount into her wallet, the rest in her jean pocket, and taking care to make her Glock apparent incase her customer tried anything funny. "And now, I think Mei Ling has a spot at the nail salon with my name on it. It's a pleasure doing business with you, Tony. You know my number when you need more."

"Hold on, Vonie, don't run off just yet…"

His words were enough to keep her, albeit impatiently, and he paused a moment to exhale a puff of smoke from his nostrils.

"_What_?" she prodded sharply.

He continued to stall, chuckling a bit to himself as he scratched his chin thoughtfully with his thumb.

"You know what I don't get? What is a beautiful, 19 year old white girl doing dealing drugs on the Lower East Side? That's just crazy. Why ain't you never told me?"

"Because it's none of your business," she replied. "And anyway, what do you care? I give you what you want for less than the other guys. That should be the extent of your concern towards me."

"Well, yeah, normally…" he agreed. "But now things are different. You're more well-known around here than you were a year ago. You're not just some underground weirdo chick trying to make a living and pay for her Gucci, you're actually a _dealer_."

She jammed her hands into the pockets of her jacket and shifted it on her shoulders uncomfortably.

"That's normally what you call someone who sells drugs, Tony. I've always been a _dealer." _

He laughed a bit louder this time, throwing his head back.

"No you haven't. There's a difference between the people trying to make some extra cash and the people who have a regular clientele. At more than 10 regular customers, you're definitely on your way to being a professional."

"I'm pretty sure _professional drug dealer _is an oxymoron..." she sighed, shifting her feet. "Why are you wasting my time with all of this?"

Tony's expression then became somewhat grave as he inhaled deeply from his cigarette.

"I just thought you should know that Charlie's been talking about you."

Her spine involuntarily stiffened at the mention of the name, though she made an attempt to keep up her façade of resilient indifference.

"Charlie? Why? What does he want with me?"

"Don't play stupid, Tivona. You know he don't like you dealin' in Alphabet City, I've told you that before. Now he's been sayin' he wants you outta here for good."

She shivered a little.

"If I were you," Tony continued. "I might move along. Charlie ain't someone I'd want to deal with. I'll still buy from you though, as long as you stay in Manhattan."

All Tivona could do was nod her head, re-shift her jacket, and walk away uncomfortably. She popped her collar as she exited the scene, hoping that it would obscure her face from both Tony and anyone of concern who might be on the street.

"But if you see him, Tivona," Tony called after her. "Don't tell him I said nothin'!"

* * *

Sally arrived back at her flat around 1 am.

She was greeted by her roommate Ziggy -a young female mummy who worked as a secretary for the Mayor- laying on the couch watching 'Elvira's Late-Night Cooking Hour'. Sally couldn't help but eye her with envious disdain, wishing that Jack was as considerate towards his employees' personal schedules as the Mayor. She had no doubt been let off work six or seven hours ago.

"Hey there," Ziggy called out casually, apathetically waving one bandaged hand in the air while not taking her gaze off the screen. "How's it going?"

Because her roommate was one of the many Halloween residents who enjoyed using 'terrible' as a means to convey that something is actually positive, Sally didn't quite know how to get her point across, preferring instead to use negative adjectives _negatively_. Figuring that Ziggy probably wouldn't have cared much or even listened to her response anyway, she replied with a simple,

"As it always does."

Sally kicked off her painful, pinching work heels at the threshold of the door and crossed the dark living room to the kitchen. She had begun to occupy herself with finding something in the refrigerator to either eat or drink before retiring to bed, when Ziggy unexpectedly spoke up.

"So have you asked Jack out yet?"

Having heard that, Sally had no doubt in her mind that she would require nothing less than pumpkin ale. She grabbed a bottle and began to fish around for an opener in the drawers before she even acknowledged that the question was asked.

"No. He's my _employer_ now. What makes you think I was going to, anyway?"

There was a momentary silence before Ziggy responded.

"I dunno. I just thought you liked him."

Sally popped off the bottle cap and continued into the living room on a direct path towards the inviting armchair in the corner.

"Well, I _did_," Sally admitted. "But like I said, he's my boss now. Dating one's boss has never ended well, so far as I know."

Ziggy shifted her lounge position a bit, while Sally relaxed into the cushion of the chair. The sound of Elvira's instruction on how to prepare roast cat filled the second moment of silence.

"Then why did you agree to work for him in the first place?" Ziggy continued. "I mean, if you knew you wanted to date him. It doesn't make much sense, if you ask me."

Sally snickered before taking a sip of her refreshing ice-cold ale.

"Because it doesn't matter, Zig. He's not interested in me, anyway."

"He told you that?"

"Well, no, not directly…but I just _know. _It's not hard to see. He still hardly knows I exist, and I work for him now. If that's not evidence enough that he's just not that into me, I don't know what is."

Ziggy shrugged and faced the TV once more.

"Well, men just aren't good at expressing their feelings. Unless a man tells me directly he doesn't like me, I never give up."

She said this somewhat proudly, though Sally was well aware of Ziggy's typical outcome when pursuing a love interest relentlessly. Needless to say, it was the reason why she was currently lounging on the couch and not out with a gentleman caller. Then again, Sally thought, she was obviously not having much luck either with her unattached approach, so who was she to judge?

"But," Ziggy added, looking directly at Sally with an empathetic smile. "If he truly doesn't like you, it's his own loss."

"Thanks," Sally sighed in response with a somewhat sad smile. "That means a lot."

Sally then watched Elvira finish tossing together an eyeball salad before finally going to bed.

* * *

She didn't begin her preparations until very late at night, somewhere around 1 or 2 am.

She had neglected her salon appointment earlier in the day for fear of what Tony had told her. She knew being on the street in Alphabet City in the daylight would reveal her to Charlie or any one of his affiliates, and so she had headed straight back to her apartment and lay low until night fell.

It was true that wandering Manhattan streets at night as an attractive young woman wasn't the best safety tactic either, but she reckoned that a clever disguise, a handgun, a knife, and a sense of purpose would keep her amply protected. She was familiar with this neighborhood, anyway. She felt confident in her ability to handle any dangerous persons that approached her, save for the one man she was trying to outrun.

As she stuffed clothing and the remainder of the few material things she owned into a duffle bag, she tried to decide where she would ultimately head. Most of her closest friends, of which were few and far between, lived too far close to the neighborhood, and so requesting to stay with any of them for the night would be of little help to her. She seemed to recall, however, an old boyfriend that shared an apartment with a couple of guys in New Rochelle. Certainly, she thought, he'd take her in for a night or more, as long as she turned on the charm and wasn't too shy if the boys requested _payment._ Regardless, it'd have to do.

Once she had finished stuffing her thick, wavy golden brown locks into a knit cap and zipping up her black leather jacket tightly, she grabbed her duffle and headed towards the door. Before leaving, however, she stole one lingering glance at the studio apartment that had been her home for the past year and a half, wondering if she'd ever see it again.

With a huff, she let the concern leave her mind and focused her efforts solely on survival.

_Later…_

At 3:50 am, the streets of New York City were at their quietest. It was a period within some odd, hour and a half block of time in which the people who had stayed out far too late had already gone home and the early morning commuters had sometime left before having to wake.

The air seemed especially dry and crisp, particularly for this early in the autumn. Smatterings of brown, discarded leaves had already fallen, and their crude, scratchy dances across the concrete were sometimes the only noticeable sound, save for the occasional car speeding by or ranting hobo.

Tivona felt particularly alone as she made her trek down 5th avenue. There was something about the Prada building to her left and the Trump Tower to her right that only worsened the feeling. They seemed to mock her simultaneously for being the drug-dealing, promiscuous wretch that she currently was. She knew, somewhere deep down, that she had the potential and the worth to be a _Prada _or a _Trump Tower _sort of person. She knew she could become the sort of woman that walked into a store on W57th and looked as though she might have owned it, or at least was married to the man that did. She wanted the power and glamour of a trophy wife's life more than anything else, and she knew she'd take any steps necessary to achieve it, had she known what those were.

She soon walked past Louis Vuitton, and couldn't help but slow down to metaphorically drool over a dark black handbag in the display window. She imagined herself in the backseat of a Mercedes- or something similar-, wearing genuine jewelry that sparkled against her pale skin, an elegant, form-fitting black cocktail dress, and clutching that handbag in her lap. Perhaps her hair would be done up elegantly, or her nails exquisitely manicured. Maybe she'd be on her way to meeting a gentleman friend her affluent husband -who was probably out of the country on business- didn't know about. Her lips could have been painted with an expensive brand of dark red lipstick that contrasted strikingly with her alabaster skin and black clothing. She'd eventually ask the driver to stop, and proceed to step out of the car and onto the sidewalk, only to be met by a sea of awe-stricken, adoring looks.

With that sort of money, she could afford to be _that _beautiful, to have people stop and stare and wish they were her. Perhaps money couldn't buy love, but it could definitely pay for the envy of others, of which she'd be quite content to live off of the rest of her life.

A hand suddenly twisting her arm behind her back, followed by one covering her mouth, brought her abruptly out of her daydream. She squirmed violently, but whoever had gotten hold of her was particularly strong, and she was particularly weak in any case, so the effort was futile.

"I told ya to get outta here, didn't I?" a familiar voice whispered into her ear. The stench of alcohol and tobacco wasn't necessary to prove the owner's identity, but it certainly confirmed any suspicions. "But you just wouldn't listen. You think you're some kinda hard bitch, don'tcha? You think you're some streetwise cunt who can tell all of us where to stick it, don'tcha?"

He twisted her arm tighter.

"How tough are you now, huh?" he hissed. "How fuckin' tough are you now, _cunt_?"

She eventually managed to kick the man hard in the groin, causing him to immediately release his grasp and fall backwards.

She then didn't hesitate to pull the Glock from its concealed holster and point it directly at her momentarily subdued enemy, Charlie.

"Fuck you," she spat, beginning to slowly back away.

"I'd go ahead and shoot me now, O'Dwyer…" Charlie chuckled as he began to rise back to a standing position. "Not that it's gonna make much difference…"

"Yeah, I'm not that inclined to listen to some asshole who can't even outsell a fucking _19 year old girl_…so why don't you just back off and let me continue getting out of here?"

"I sure wish you'd have told me that sooner, sweetheart," he sighed sarcastically, shaking his shaven head. "'Cause I've got about 10 guys looking for you. You might wanna consider a farther residence than Upstate…"

Tivona could feel herself shaking, but she kept the handgun pointed straight at Charlie as she attempted a silent retreat. She clutched the handle of her duffle bag for some sense of moral support as she sprinted away, looking back frequently with her readied gun to make sure she wasn't followed.

As soon as Charlie was well out of sight, she booked it down W57th as fast as her legs could carry her. It felt like an eternity of small restaurants and construction awnings before she finally arrived at the intersection of 57th and 6th, at which point she made a sharp right turn.

Some sick churning in the pit of her stomach told her she was still being followed. There was no direct, visible evidence of it, but she could still tell that Charlie's boys were nearby, hot on her trail. The oasis of trees in the urban jungle that was Central Park lay out before her at the end of the street. She knew that she might have stood a better chance for survival hidden amongst foliage. If she could just lay low in the park until sunrise, when more law enforcement took to the streets, she might have stood a fair chance of getting to New Rochelle safely.

She didn't lessen her pace as she approached the forest, however sparse her breath was becoming. Jogging every other morning seemed to have paid off to a certain extent, but she wasn't quite used to a work-out of this intensity. If she lived through this, she thought, perhaps she could skip a couple of upcoming morning workouts and sleep in. Certainly this night had qualified for at least three or four of her runs, or so she liked to believe.

Soon, she found herself in the admittedly comforting, shadowy cover of the clustered park trees, off the marked park path. Her former paranoia of being followed began to dwindle, and so she took it to mean that her adversaries had given up, considering their 'scare' sufficient enough to get rid of her.

Relieved, she crouched down at the base of a tree trunk, in a crowd of bushes and shrubs. She placed her duffle bag on the ground with the intent of using it as pillow while she caught up on some much-needed sleep. As she began to stretch out on the pleasantly lush grass, she began to feel a growing suction on her back, reeling her backwards.

Startled and confused, she attempted to reach for any stable object in front of her. Regrettably, the strength of the suction, that was clearly coming from the trunk of the tree behind her, proved far too strong.

When she finally fell prey to the strength of the suction, she literally slipped into the void emitting from the trunk. Odd recollections of Alice in Wonderland flooded her mind as she dropped down a seemingly endless, pitch black tunnel, the soft image of central park rapidly disappearing.

This didn't last long before a strong, solid mass that felt similar to a wall collided with her body, rendering her unconscious.

She awoke immediately with a pounding headache and a feeling as though she had slept for a thousand years. She also soon took notice of the fact that she was smack-dab in the middle of an odd, surreal graveyard, with an unusually large, bright yellow moon before her.

At the same time, a pair of small, hovering figures were making their way over.

Not knowing how else to respond, she retrieved her gun.


	3. Chapter 1 Bring Me A Dream

**A/N- **Well, what can I say? The reviews haven't been very abundant (and by that I mean about as abundant as Paris Hilton's hips) but that's really okay. At this point, I'm pretty much writing this tale for myself and if anyone wants to come along for the ride, they're more than welcome. So suffice it to say, this story will continue, reviews or no.

For those of you reading this (and aren't me), let me give you a rundown on some of the characters you'll meet in this chapter. I tried to make their identities as straight-forward and as obvious as possible, but it might seem a bit ambiguous at times or not specific enough, so here goes:

**Helgamine/Zeldaborne- **These are the two witches that appear in the line '_Fly with the moon in the dead of night' _of 'This Is Halloween', as well as countless other moments in the film. Basically, they're the only two witches in the movie aside from Shock (who actually might not be a witch, just a kid in a costume. I was never entirely clear on that…but I will be coming to a definite decision not long from now that will factor in prominently to this story). They're not canon sisters, so far as I know, but I thought it would be a fun relationship to have play out between them in this story. Helgamine is the taller, older looking witch, and Zeldaborne is the younger, smaller, black-haired witch. These aren't names I selected for them myself. In fact, I was going to choose Hecate (for the older) and Sybil (for the younger), but I then found that these two were already named on some NBC trading cards. Check out Wikipedia, it explains it all.

**Cornelius Caesar & The Bones Brothers- **This one is, hopefully, more obvious in-text, but I'll go ahead and spell it out for you all here, just in case. Simply put, this is the band that always provides the musical accompaniment in the movie. Cornelius, specifically, is the saxophone player who congratulated Jack with a "_Nice work, Bonedaddy" _after the Halloween celebrations. He is named after saxophonists Cornelius Bumpus and Sid Caesar (Cornelius, primarily because the character seemed to fit this name, in my opinion, and Caesar because I like the name and Sid Caesar himself. So there ya go.). I may think of names for the bassist and accordionist later on, if that proves to be a necessity. Personally, I sort of like the idea that Cornelius pretty much does all the talking/organizing/dictating for the band and that most people really don't know the other guys or what they're names are and it just forever remains a mystery. For whatever reason, I find that amusing.

**Herbert "Herb" Dobberstein- **This one is definitely the least obvious of the others and will probably remain that way until I incorporate the rest of his family. Okay, remember the zombie/corpse family from the movie? Well, this guy is supposed to be the dad. I believe there was a scene of him getting swallowed by a snake during the 'Making Christmas' montage, and during 'This Is Halloween' he sang '_It's our job' _and then his wife said, '_But we're not mean' _and then together they said, '_In our town of Halloween…'. _Like I said, we'll become acquainted with the rest of his family later, particularly his wife, whom I've named Gloria (the large corpse, zombie woman).

So that's it for now. Hopefully this A/N will clear up any confusion that might arise.

* * *

Helgamine and Zeldaborne had never been more pleased with themselves.

Ever since starting their sister-act band, life had been going swimmingly. They had never expected to become an almost overnight hit in Halloween Town when they had begun the effort, but now their albums were even gaining popularity with the other Holiday villages. They now had more money, friends, and admirers than they knew what to do with.

On this particular night, in fact, they had been scheduled to perform a completely sold-out concert at City Hall. The crowd cheering for them was filled not only with monsters and ghosts, but elves, pilgrims, rabbits, cherubs, and leprechauns as well. Afterwards, the St. Patrick's day citizens took the sisters and whoever else could fit into 'The Poisoned Apple' pub for an after-party most of them would certainly forget by the next morning, but such was the distinguishing mark of a good bar romp.

Knowing they'd be wanting a steady flight home, the sisters themselves refrained from partaking in too much liquor. Nevertheless, they still found a certain drunken property in being so high on admiration and praise as they cruised through dry, autumn breeze on their broomsticks.

"_Helga, _did you see the way those leprechaun boys put away their liquor?" the younger, and smaller of the two sisters squealed. "It was mind-boggling how they were still standing when we left!"

"I agree, Zelda," the eldest nodded. "I also think that one –_Patrick, _was his name?- really took a shine to you."

Zelda giggled and blushed. "Oh, he did _not_! Anyway, I don't think I'd want to date a man much smaller than me."

Helga cackled at the thought of her younger sister with a significantly taller individual.

"Well, sister, now that we're rock starlets I expect we'll have our choice of men. Don't you think?"

The pair continued to snicker wildly as they approached the rusted, iron gates of the graveyard, intending to use the path as a shortcut home. It wasn't a route they commonly took, but spiral hill was admittedly very breathtaking in the creepy glow of the waning moon- that is, if either of them had any breath to take to begin with- and they figured it would make for a frightening ending to a fantastically terrible evening.

Being so wrapped up in their mirth, they nearly didn't take notice of some odd movement in a cluster of nearby tombstones. Helgamine's naturally observant nature, however, didn't allow her to miss it, and she quickly gestured for her sister to stop and be silent.

"Did you see that?" she whispered, pointing towards the area in question.

Zelda studied the location fixedly, hoping to see what her sister had.

The shifting and rustling occurred once more, and Zelda immediately gasped and repositioned herself in a hover behind Helga.

"What do you think it is, sister?" Zelda questioned shakily.

Helga rolled her eyes and sighed. "For heavenssake, Zelda, stop being such a coward. We're _witches _for crying out loud!"

The eldest then began to float towards the area somewhat hesitantly, Zelda following a safe distance behind her.

"Who's there?" Helga called out boisterously, attempting to sound as fearless as possible. "Reveal yourself or we'll do it for you!"

"We're witches, just so you know!" Zelda added, receiving a disapproving glare from Helga in response.

Suddenly, a figure shot up from the area, wielding something that glinted metallically in the soft light. The sharp, unexpected movement yielded a screech and a dramatic jump behind a gravestone from Zelda.

"S-stay where you are!" The feminine voice of the figure warned. "I'm not afraid to use this, just so _you_ know!"

Helga squinted her eyes to get a better look at her adversary. The shadows were somewhat obscuring, but she could make out that the figure was a young woman dressed entirely in black. Her voluminous, golden-blonde hair was partially tied back into a messy bun, and the rest cascaded raggedly down her back and shoulders. Her clothing seemed ripped and ragged.

"You may use that on me, if it makes you feel better," Helga said calmly, realizing the instrument in the woman's hands to be a handgun. "It won't have much effect, I'm afraid."

The eldest witch soon realized she had already underestimated this young woman, as immediately after saying this, she fired four rounds into Helga's chest. The bullets either passed through her decaying flesh or were unattractively lodged within. The impact itself felt somewhat like fists, and the force did knock her back slightly. Aside from that, however, Helga remained unharmed, as she had predicted. She didn't expect the woman to actually fire, however.

Helga simply grinned at her, revealing her rows of yellowed, snaggled teeth.

"I told you it wouldn't affect me, didn't I?"

The girl then dropped the weapon in horror and began a speedy retreat in the opposite direction. Helga, however, didn't feel completely satisfied with their interaction, and so she invoked a grounding spell to keep the woman where she was.

"You musn't leave yet," Helga explained as she glided over to the woman's frozen form. "We haven't even been properly introduced!"

Zelda soon came out of hiding and joined her sister in her orbit around the suspended female.

"I am Helgamine and this is my younger sister, Zeldaborne. As we mentioned before, _we're witches_."

"Perhaps you've heard of us," Zelda continued. "We're also known as 'Toil and Trouble',"

Though the woman's body was completely immobile, she was still able to shift her eyes and make subtle facial expressions. The one she was making now seemed to suggest that she had no idea what they were talking about and was very, very confused.

Zelda leaned over to whisper in Helga's ear.

"I don't think she's from around here, sister…or anywhere nearby, for that matter…"

Helga took another moment to inspect the woman now that she was in a very close proximity. She could see that her face was slightly bruised and scarred in certain areas, though it didn't really detract from her obvious beauty. It did seem to indicate, however, that she was familiar with a rougher sort of lifestyle.

She was very young, or appeared to be so, probably just over the age of consent, Helga guessed. Her thin, but curvaceous form was clad in torn black jeans that clung tightly to her legs, worn black sneakers, and an equally-as-dog-eared leather jacket. Her nose was pierced in the left nostril, and her ears were studded twice in the lobe and thrice in the upper cartilage.

Her face was somewhat gaunt, her skin was markedly pale, and her eyes were a fairly normal shade of dark brown. These last few attributes Helga observed without much care, as they were somewhat superficial and not especially helpful in illuminating an individual's moral center. All-in-all, there was nothing especially interesting about this young lady, aside from the clear fact that she was a human mortal in Halloween Town. This crossing of worlds had never happened before, so either the portal was on the fritz or this woman was in fact, _not _a mortal and supposed to be here. Helga didn't have enough evidence yet to decide on either theory.

With a snap of her fingers, Helga brought the woman out of her frozen state long enough for her to get into a comfortable, standing position instead of the mid-run she had been in when initially stopped. She also freed up the use of her head and vocal chords, but kept the rest of her body immobile.

"Look, I don't want any weird stuff," the young woman announced immediately. "I just need to know where the hell I am."

Helga wrinkled her long, pointed nose at the woman's demanding, sarcastic tone. She didn't much care for it.

"Young lady," she began. "When a stranger offers you their name it is extremely impolite not to give yours in return…"

The woman made an attempt to shift her body which was, of course, completely futile and ineffective.

"Well, I didn't exactly ask for yours, now did I?"

Zelda huffed loudly and flew in dangerously close to the woman's face.

"_You _are extremely rude," she stated. "And stupid. Do you really think it's wise for a weak, puny mortal girl like yourself to insult two powerful witches like us?"

For a moment, the woman looked indignant and as though she planned to follow up her last remark with something of equal magnitude. She then paused and looked somewhat contemplative, before finally relenting.

"My name is Tivona O'Dwyer," she said with a sigh.

Zelda and Helga exchanged glances of realization.

"_O'Dwyer…_" Helga considered aloud. "That's very Irish. You must be from St. Patrick's Ville, then!"

Tivona scrunched up her face in confusion.

"_Where_…?"

Zelda shrugged. "She _is _short…but not leprechaun short…"

"It was a reasonable guess!" Helga argued defensively.

Tivona made another useless attempt to shift her body against the power of the spell as she explained,

"I'm from Manhattan. Well…I guess I'm actually from Maui, but I haven't lived there in two years and I usually don't mention it, anyway…"

Now Zelda and Helga were the puzzled party.

"I always thought Hawaiians looked…well, different from you, anyway!" Zelda smirked.

"No, you see, I'm only _half _Hawaiian, I actually-" But then Tivona stopped herself from the digression. "..Forget it. Now, will one of you _please _tell me where I am? I've told you my name and basically my whole life story, so I think it's the least you could do. Letting me go would also be nice."

The sisters looked at one another slyly, as if a dual-plan had already been formed between them. They then turned their attention back to their captive.

"You're in Halloween Town, my girl," Helga explained. "And you seem to be mortal and we simply can't let mortals run free around here. We have a civic duty to report you to the powers that be and they can decide what to do with you."

"Yeah, and it's not like you're gonna get back to the world of the living on your own," Zelda chimed it.

Helga nodded. "So, it's probably in your best interest to just come with us."

With another snap of Helga's fingers, Tivona began hovering off the ground, still completely stiff.

"What are you _doing?_" she screeched, staring at her now air-borne body in horror. "You can't do this to me!"

The pair laughed triumphantly.

"Obviously, we can!" Zelda mocked.

After another snap, the sister's took off over the graveyard, a screaming Tivona now following close behind.

* * *

As she had done countless times in the course of her employment, Sally strolled down the early-morning, cobbled streets of Halloween Town towards Jack's mansion.

The bright, saffron sun had just begun its climb over the horizon, and because mid-fall was fast approaching, its rays had become that much more low and blinding. She made an attempt to stay in the protective shade of trees and buildings, but when her route diverged, she had to put a hand up to shield her sight.

Like always, her path eventually took her into the central square of the Town. There wasn't much to see this early in the day, aside from several drunken vampires staggering aimlessly about in front of the pub, attempting to sloppily cover themselves as they piled into carriages to be taken to their coffins. Internally, Sally hoped that all of them would make it safely back to darkness. Vampire death on account of sun-exposure from staying out too early in the morning was one of the biggest issues plaguing the Town. As per usual, it was her responsibility to handle the individual cases because Jack couldn't be bothered, and something told her that having to visit individual Vampire clans to deliver the news would be the last thing she'd want to add to this day.

As she neared the iron gates in front of the house, she saw The Bones Brothers were waiting for her. She tried not to make her exasperated sigh too audible.

"Good morning, gentleman," she greeted as she sifted through her purse for the keys. "It's a bit early for your appointment, isn't it?"

The saxophonist and head member, a zombie man named Cornelius Caesar, answered her before either of the other two members could. This was often the norm, and Sally wasn't sure if she had ever heard the bass or accordion players ever say a word.

"No way, sister. There ain't no such thing as _too_ early in our line of work. 'Way we see it, we're gonna get to talk to Jack first. If those two little witchy gals ever wanna go anywhere with their music, they'll learn to always be early, just like we did. Ain't that right boys?"

The bass and accordion players simply nodded silently.

Sally shrugged, finally unlocking the gate and gesturing for them to follow her up the winding front stairs.

"Jack probably isn't awake yet," she called to them over her shoulder. Some part of her hoped that this would be enough to deter them to return four hours from the current time, but they continued to follow her, unaffected. _Of course, _she thought to herself, wondering why she had bothered being so delusional in the first place.

The four of them arrived inside Jack's cavernous, dark front lobby, and Sally made the immediate approach to her desk. Even though they were going to sit right across from her, she hoped that the band wouldn't be too chatty about the unfairness of their situation for the entire morning.

"Feel free to have a seat," she invited as she plopped her purse on the surface of her desk. "Jack will probably be awake in…oh, I'd say an hour or two."

"Hey, what's that there on your desk?" a deep, unfamiliar voice asked that she soon realized belonged to the typically silent accordion player.

_Endless stacks of papers? _She thought, her eyes searching the desk for anything that might have been out-of-place. _Phones ringing off the hook? _

Sure enough, right in the spot on the desk where Sally had made some open space for her head the day before, stood a tall vase of deadly nightshade and wilted black roses. Right beside it was a bottle she recognized to be the same she had given Jack more than a year ago. She picked it up and inspected a white tag that was tied around the neck.

'_I'm sorry', _was scribbled in Jack's signature calligraphy.

"Tell me you like it," came Jack's voice from the far staircase.

The band and Sally glanced over in the direction of the sound. The Pumpkin King then descended the wrought iron staircase and eventually made his way over to the desk.

"I just knew I had to do something to make up for yesterday," he explained. "And _all _of the days you've been in my employ, really. I've truly been nothing but trouble."

The total unexpectedness of the moment made it nearly impossible for her to respond coherently. She was somehow painfully giddy and terribly perplexed all at once.

"Oh, well, I- uhm…" she stuttered, starting to put the bottle back down on the desk. "I-I really do appreciate it-"

Because Jack was now close enough to her to do so, he gently stopped her hand.

"You haven't opened it yet!" he exclaimed with a grin.

Somehow more bewildered than before, Sally reluctantly uncorked it. Instead of a smoky butterfly –what she half expected would be emerging- an enchantingly dark, ebony puff of smoke rose from the inner bottle. It soon morphed into the slender, elegant shape of a raven and began to beat its wings gracefully.

Sally and the trio of musicians watched in awe as the bird proceeded to float up and away, towards the top of the front door. The light from the large, cracked window that resided over the threshold momentarily caught an ethereal glow in the faux-creatures cloudy wings. It finally came to rest, perched just above the front entrance.

'_Nevermore!_' it squawked, before abruptly evaporating in a poof.

After recovering from their awe-stricken shock, Sally and the band applauded their king, whilst he himself attempted to answer it with a humble bow.

"Jack, I didn't even know you did smoke art," Sally commented over the dwindling roar of their hands.

Jack adjusted the lapels of his coat somewhat proudly. "Truthfully, Sally, I hadn't much of an interest before you presented me with the butterfly. I now find that I am, actually, quite good at it."

"I'll say!" Cornelius agreed enthusiastically.

This suddenly seemed to alert Jack of the bands' presence, and so he immediately reverted to his aforementioned professional stoicism.

"Gentleman," he greeted, clearing his throat. "I am, as ever, delighted to see you all, but I do believe your appointment is at noon sharp. That is, I believe, _four_ hours from now?"

Cornelius nodded. "We're aware of that, your majesty. But you see, my brothers and I like to be early. It's part of what makes us so dependable, in addition to being musically inclined."

Jack looked as though he were going to follow up with a respectful retort, but Cornelius pressed on with his persuasive philosophy.

"You see, sir, talent is only a part of what makes a group of musicians worthy. If you're gonna hire that band, you're gonna want to know you can _rely _on that band. Certainly, you trust a band that shows up plenty early for a meeting, that has provided music for your town for a hundred years or more, but can you really _rely_ on a couple a' young witches who don't know their bass from their treble?"

Wanting to distance herself from the conversation, Sally retreated silently back to her desk to resume her duties. Jack, who had been pretending to consider Cornelius' rant, momentarily looked back at her in some hope that she might make a rescue attempt. Instead, she had picked up the phone receiver and purposely swiveled her chair to face towards the wall while she spoke silently and intently.

"Anyway," Cornelius continued. "All I'm sayin' is, we're your boys. You've known us forever. We've always provided the music. Why fix what's not broken, ya know?"

Jack extended a reassuring hand to the saxophone player's shoulder, hoping it would effectively pacify him.

"Yes, yes, Mr. Caesar, I understand. I recognize that The Bones Brothers have been the most prominent band in Halloween Town for a long time now. _But, _I am a diplomatic king and equality and fairness is essential to me. For this reason, I have no choice but to wait until noon, when the sisters should be arriving, to begin our meeting. For the time being, I have a lot of work to get done. I'll see you all in four hours!"

With that, Jack turned and walked away hastily in a clear attempt to escape the present situation.

Before retreating back to his study, however, he stopped at Sally's desk and leaned in to whisper. She excused herself from the phone conversation and covered the receiver.

"Do you forgive me?" he whispered desperately. "Please say that you do…"

She smiled to herself and felt her cheeks grow hot. In response, she could only nod and grin warmly. Soon after, he was grinning too. He patted her affectionately on the shoulder and then disappeared into the back of the house.

As she returned to the phone conversation and repositioned her chair to face towards the front door, she noticed Cornelius scuffing his feet and pacing in front of the other calmly seated members of his band.

"_Just ridiculous,_" he muttered to himself of the current rivalry. Sally, however, found that the phrase oddly applied to her situation as well.

* * *

Tivona woke up in an unfamiliar bed, in an equally foreign bedroom. Admittedly, this was not a first for her.

The last thing she could recall was being propelled through the air, unable to move her any of her appendages aside from her head. Before that, there were the witches, the graveyard, the unsettlingly large moon, and before that, being chased through the streets of Manhattan from her impending death. It all seemed to indicate that she had either died or was under the influence of something quite strong. Yet, it all seemed a bit too real to be nothing more than a hallucination. Furthermore, neither explanation illuminated why she was currently waking up in _this _sort of bedroom. It looked like something out of a haunted house attraction she'd visit with her high school friends around Halloween. It was too tangible to be drug-induced, and too random to be the afterlife (or so she hoped).

She threw off the tattered covers, pleased to see that the only article of clothing that had been removed was her leather jacket, and groggily lifted herself off the squeaky metal cot. Warm, orange, autumnal sunlight filtered in through the yellowed, ratty curtains of the window just above where she had slept, and she could tell from the positioning of the light that it was still fairly early in the morning.

Next to the cot was a somewhat warped-looking nightstand, and next to that was her duffle bag. She walked the several steps required across the wood paneled floor to reach it, knelt down, and pulled out a hairbrush, as well as her toothbrush, floss and paste. Though she didn't know exactly where it was, she knew she had to have been in a house of sorts. Every house had a mirror and a bathroom and she intended to locate the one here. She simply refused to look as though she had just tumbled out of bed after a night of running from drug lords and being accosted by witches.

She exited the bedroom with hesitance and stealth, as she wasn't entirely sure of what awaited her on the other side of the door. It opened on to a hallway that looked more or less like the bedroom she had just left –perhaps with more cobwebs-, and the hallway led to the threshold of some dangerously rickety stairs. It was at this threshold, however, that she could see straight into the downstairs quarters and they, in turn, could do the same.

She was shocked to see the same two witches from the night before at a dining room table. The tallest was serving plates with a spatula from the frying pan she held, and the youngest was sitting patiently, her stubby little legs crossed daintily, reading a newspaper.

The eldest, Helga, noticed Tivona's presence almost immediately.

"Ah, how nice of you to join us!" she exclaimed sarcastically.

"About time!" the younger witched squeaked over the newspaper that was clearly larger than her.

Tivona descended the stairs gingerly, concerned simultaneously for the strength of the framework and what the sisters might have planned for her when she reached the bottom.

"Well, come on and get some breakfast," Helga urged, gesturing for her to come and take an empty seat. "You've got to be starving."

It wasn't until she mentioned it that Tivona realized she _was _quite hungry. As if to confirm this, her stomach made a rumbling growl. At a loss of anything else to do, she set her toiletries on the nearest empty surface and made her way over to dining room.

"I thought you were going to turn me in," Tivona mentioned as she pulled out the chair across from Zelda.

"_Nah," _Zelda replied casually. "We were just trying to spook ya a little. We're not really narcs."

Helga then remerged from the kitchen with a plate of her own. "This is true. But we still can't keep you here for long. You're a fleshy and they have absolutely no tolerance for your kind gallivanting around the place."

Tivona cocked an eyebrow. "A _fleshy?_"

Zelda momentarily folded her paper to the side and leaned across the table as far as her small form would allow. "It's our term for living mortals. We actually have never had this sort of problem, but there are still strict laws against you being here…you know, just in case something like YOU ever happened…which it obviously did."

The human could only nod her head, as if she remotely understood what either of them were talking about. It was then that she noticed the sound of a keyboard had been playing this whole time, and so she ventured a glance into the living room-the source of the sound- to see who was responsible for making it.

Helga soon took notice of Tivona's utter horror at seeing a man's corpse playing a keyboard, and so she paused from her worm omelet to offer an explanation.

"That's our keyboardist, Mr. Herb Dobberstein."

"He-he-he's a…" Tivona stuttered, unable to close her hanging jaw.

Helga grinned and chuckled, unable to prevent herself from finding this situation amusing.

"He's closest to what your kind calls a _zombie,_" she confirmed. "Obviously, however, Herb is quite sentient. He _is _somewhat partial to fried brains, however, though they don't necessarily have to be of human origin. Isn't that right, Herb?"

The corpse ceased playing 'As Time Goes By' to call out in response, "What was that?"

Zelda giggled and pushed her paper to the side once more. "The poor dear, he's quite hard of hearing!"

Helga threw up her hands in surrender while her younger sibling continued to chortle. "Oh, never mind, old man!" she called out, louder and more distinct. "We want you to meet that human girl we found last night. This is Tivona O'Dwyer!"

Herb then rotated around on his piano bench to face her. He was clearly middle-aged, or had been when he died, as he was nearly entirely bald and had quite a bulbous nose. His yellowed, blood-shot eyes were surprisingly warm as he smiled and waved to her.

"Hi there! It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance!"

Still finding him more than bit repulsive, Tivona could only halfheartedly reciprocate the wave and force a not-so-convincing smile.

"Herb's here because we have a meeting with the King in about an hour or so," Helga explained. "We thought we could squeeze a jam session in beforehand."

Tivona stiffened her posture in interest at the mention of a monarch.

"You guys have a _King_?" she asked disbelievingly.

"Oh yes," Helga answered, rising to begin collecting the breakfast dishes. "He's just about the kindest King a Town could ask for. We really do love him, and we just _know _he's going to pick us to play on Halloween over The Bones Brothers…that old, washed group of jazz coots…"

"And what about your Queen?" Tivona ventured innocently. "What do you think of her?"

Zelda had already put down her paper and skipped into the living room to warm up her drum set when she responded to this question.

"We don't have a Queen, though there are plenty of gals who'd love to take the position. King Jack is _so _dreamy!"

"And loaded!" Herb added as he proceeded to play an upbeat 'Mr. Sandman'.

Tivona rose from her seat and crossed her arms as she walked to join Zelda and Herb in the living room. Her dark brown eyes darted deviously around in their sockets as a seedling of an idea began to sprout in her mind.

"Do you think Helga would mind if I came with you guys to the meeting?" she whispered to Zelda slyly.

Zelda then tapped out a very brief drum solo, the sound of which initially startled Tivona, and the small witch snickered.

"You'd have to ask her," she replied. "…but she probably will."

Tivona sat down on an old stool that was position in the apex of the living room, right in between Zelda and Herb.

"It's just that I've never met a King," she elaborated, trying to seem as naively curious as possible. "Let alone a _Halloween_ King…is that what you all call him? The Halloween King?"

"The Pumpkin King, actually" Helga corrected as she strode around the corner from the opposite kitchen exit. "And _no, _you may certainly not come with us to meet him. Were you not paying attention when we told you human mortals are forbidden here? You could get all of us into serious trouble. We're doing you a huge favor, you ungrateful little wretch!"

Helga then shooed Tivona off the stool, as it was where she sat to play lead guitar and do the vocals.

"Oh, Helga, don't be like that," Tivona pleaded teasingly, having realized at this point that this particular witch's bark was worse than her bite. "I won't be any trouble! We can just disguise me in, like…oh, I don't know…a full body cloak or something! I'll pretend to be a crone-you can say I'm your elderly mother!"

Helga seemed entirely unconvinced, and she ignored Tivona altogether while tuning her guitar and adjusting the settings on a nearby amp.

"_Please, _Helga," Tivona continued. "This my first and probably only time visiting Halloween Town. Can't I please explore it with you guys? Can't I _at least _meet your King?"

When the witch continued to ignore her and began nonchalantly strumming random chords, Tivona took drastic measures. She abruptly stomped on the amp chord, causing it to yank out of Helga's guitar with a startling fizzle. When Helga looked up at her in horror, Tivona grinned victoriously.

"_Or,_" she whispered. "I could just run loose around the town while you're gone…introduce myself…show everyone what a mortal I am…tell them who I'm currently staying with-"

"Alright!" Helga interjected, bringing up her right hand in surrender. "You can come with us. But you WILL be in disguise and you WILL keep your mouth shut, is that clear?"

The human woman's malicious smirk sweetened a bit, and she proceeded to facetiously and dramatically wrap her arms around Helga. This caused Zelda to squeak and clap her hands over her mouth in delight disbelief, and Herb could only sigh and shake his head.

"Oh, Helga, thank you," Tivona cooed. "You won't regret it…"


	4. Chapter 2 Decisiveness

**A/N- **I don't think I have any wisdom or insight to impart to my readers at this time. I guess I can say that I'm not entirely happy with this chapter and feel it's a bit rushed, but that might just be me being over-concerned for something that ultimately doesn't matter.

I do want to shout out to the lovely readers who have left comments- Serenity Needfyre, Kuroneko 13, and my closest compadre here on , herbertmoonlover. Serenity, I'm glad you've enjoyed the story thus far and I look forward to seeing more comments from you. Kuroneko, I really liked how specific your comments were. I totally agree, the Jack-crushing thing is more than a little weird and it does bring up some interesting questions about those individuals' sexuality (like you said, def some necrophilia going on). I don't necessarily mean to offend those of you who find yourself sexually attracted to a fictional skeleton and wanting to make an OC to marry him and (somehow) have his skele-babies, but if you seriously thought you were going to read this and not be made fun of for it at least a little bit, then you're terribly naive and probably have way too much faith in humanity (I did too, for a time, until I found out Jack Skellington had mary sues. ;-) ) As for you, herbertmoonlover- get over it. 3

Alright, so that's that. Here, have a disclaimer before you scamper off to read.

**Disclaimer- **Not mine. Burton's.

* * *

It was 11:45 am, and Sally was somewhat amazed that she had made it this far unscathed.

The Bones Brothers had been sitting across from her, in an admittedly awkward silence, since 8:30. Not once had they breathed a word, or even given the slightest hint via body language that they intended to do so. She didn't know if it was due to her effort to seem especially busy, but she was pleased to have been wrong in her previous assumption, regardless of the reason why. If she had known all along that they would have been such peaceful company, she wouldn't have been so eager to have them leave and come back at a time closer to the meeting hour.

She still used the 'looking extremely preoccupied' excuse to her advantage, and worked diligently to catch up on her constantly-growing repertoire of tasks to be completed. Thus, the only sound that filled the reverberant lobby of the mansion from 8:30 to 11:45 am was the frenzied, rhythmic clack of typewriter keys, the shrill scream of the telephones, and Sally's convincingly kind voice answering each call and dealing with whatever crisis awaited her on the other line.

When five more minutes had passed, however, and the longer hand on the large clock that hung over Jack's study doors began to grace ":51", the placid nature of the three musicians was quickly abandoned.

"Alright, Miss Sally," Cornelius sighed, rising from his chair. "I just don't think these ladies are gonna show. You might wanna save us all some time and trouble and just let Jack know they ain't comin'. I'm sure he'll find the decision much easier, knowing that these gals can't even show up to a meetin'."

"I'm sorry, Mr. Caesar, but it's not yet noon. As of now, they have nine more minutes to arrive."

The saxophonist chuckled a bit, and Sally couldn't help but think it was intended to be slightly patronizing.

"Oh, come on, Miss Sally," he continued to laugh. "You know as well as I do they ain't gonna come."

Annoyed, she turned her focus back to her typewriter. "Not showing up _four hours early _to a meeting doesn't necessarily mean they aren't coming at all. Even if I were to go in there and tell Jack what you're currently telling me, he'd give me the same answer he gave you earlier this morning. We have to wait until noon, it's only fair."

At this point, Cornelius' good humor had dried up completely. It was soon replaced with a desperate aggravation.

"Sally Stitches, you _know _us! Jack _knows _us! We've been the sound of Halloween Town since before you were sewn together. Ya'll can't just throw us to the wolves like this, man, as soon as some fresh-faced act comes along! I mean, what kinda fan loyalty is that?"

Sally took a moment to exhale deeply and cathartically close her eyes. After having done so, she looked directly at the zombie man standing at the opposite side of her desk. Her heart had proven to be a bit too soft to not take some pity on Cornelius' situation.

"Cornelius," she began calmly. "No one is _throwing you to the wolves_. We're working as hard as we can to make it so that both you and the sisters get continuous exposure. But what you have to understand is that things change, even here. You may be liked well enough for a time, but then something more exciting and new might come along and steal your spotlight. It's not always pleasant, but it _is_ the nature of things."

Cornelius was clearly nowhere near being satisfied by this answer, but it did effectively shut him up. Grumbling excessively under his breath, he shuffled back over to the chairs where his other two musicians continued to sit patiently. But before he could throw himself down in one with a huff, the doorbell –the sound of a woman screaming at the top of her lungs- was sounded, followed by a demanding slam of the knocker.

"_Coming!_" Sally assured, her false sense of composure beginning to wane.

She walked swiftly across the black-tiled floor and with a grunt, heaved the immensely heavy front doors open. As soon as they had opened wide enough, the two small witch sisters strolled inside, followed by their quiet and likable keyboardist, Herb, and, lastly, by an unfamiliar, hunched over figure draped entirely in a black cloak. Perhaps it was because she wasn't part of an opposing band, but Sally seemed to be the only one who took any notice of this last individual. She didn't think much of it, deciding to assume it was an elderly relative of Herb's or the sisters, but her curiosity wasn't entirely satiated by this explanation.

"Well, look who decided to show!" Cornelius announced mockingly.

Helga looked bewildered and swiftly glanced over at the clock on the opposite wall.

"Whadda ya mean by that?" she demanded to know, incredulous. "We're seven minutes early!"

Cornelius crossed his arms proudly. "Well, _we_ were four hours early. You know what that's gonna tell Jack? That we're committed and dependable, that's what."

"Or that you don't have a life," Zelda giggled.

Cornelius looked poised to attack, but before he could act on these urges, Jack emerged from the back of the house with a dramatic throwing-open of the large doors.

"I thought I heard you all here!" he cheerily claimed. "Well, since we're all present and accounted for, what do you say we get this over with?"

Helga sighed in relief, not bothering to suppress an eye roll. "Yes, finally. I can't wait to get on with my life!"

Jack, either oblivious of or ignoring her regrettable tone, ushered all of the musicians inside, instructing them to have a seat and make themselves comfortable. Sally, meanwhile, had just returned to her desk from closing the front door and was about to dig back into the workload before Jack interrupted her.

"Sally," he beckoned. "Would you please attend the meeting with us? I would very much like to have some written records of what transpires here."

She had prepared herself to make an argument about needing to be present at her desk, when a phone immediately began crying. Remembering the last conversation she'd had –an irritable mummy who complained that some of the vampires were invading his tomb, an issue that was really under the jurisdiction of the mayor-, she opened the lower drawer and pulled out a large notepad without a trace of hesitation.

"Certainly, Jack," she agreed, happily neglecting the phones once more at the behest of her employer.

After she strolled into the large, library-like study, Jack gently closed the door and proceeded to follow her to the circle of chairs that sat in the middle of the room. Two were left empty at the head of the group for the King and his assistant, but the rest were filled with musicians and their strange, presumed relative. Helga continued to bicker with Cornelius, while Zelda occasionally added giggly retorts. Contrastingly, the bassist, accordionist, and Herb spoke in pleasant small talk with another. Due to the volume of their fellow band mates, however, their personal conversation was not at all heard by either Jack or Sally.

Having sat in their assigned chairs, Jack motioned for silence. The eyes of the circle's inhabitants were immediately on him, aside from the cloaked-figure's, who might as well have just been a pile of laundry covered in a black towel. For this reason, the figure itself wasn't difficult at all to ignore.

"I think we all know why we're here," Jack began. "And I don't want to take up too much of your time, so I'll strive to keep this as short as possible. I have come to the conclusion that the people of Halloween Town would enjoy seeing both of your groups perform at the Halloween ceremonies. Therefore, I think it's the wisest and most fair option to allow you both to share the stage that night."

As anticipated, the arguments erupted immediately out of Helga, Cornelius and Zelda. Herb and the other two musicians continued to sit quietly, looking somewhat tired and uninterested.

Cornelius rehashed complaints that everyone in the room had heard from him numerous times before. He claimed that it wasn't right for them to even consider another band over The Bones Brothers, and called the whole thing '_ridiculous' _over and over again. Helga relied on the age of the Brothers' band just as much as the saxophonist, though she seemed convinced that it made them tiresome and washed out, rather than timeless and reliable.

Jack once again motioned for silence, this time receiving it with a noticeable amount of reluctance.

"Well, if you're unwilling to share the stage, then I guess we're just going to have to choose one of you…"

"Damn straight!" Cornelius answered boldly.

Sally noticed that Jack seemed unpleasantly surprised, as if he had expected all along that the groups would have easily consented to compromise so long as he suggested it. She tried not to let the issue get to her, but it was especially difficult considering she had told him all of this would happen before.

"Jack," Helga cooed, utilizing all of her available charm. "The people of Halloween Town _really _want to see us. In fact, the people of the other Holiday worlds _also _want to see us. Think of how useful we'll be to the cause of Holiday assimilation. They'll actually have a compelling reason to visit the celebration if we perform, and thus, we can introduce them to our culture!"

Jack seemed to consider this point intently, and Sally had to admit that it was a very strong argument. She made sure to scribble it down.

Cornelius had now risen from his chair, fists clenched tightly. It was strange for all of them to see someone so normally relaxed and laid-back in such a state of agitation, but Sally supposed that it was due to the threat of his musical career- possibly the only thing that could ever bring out the worst in him.

"Hell, _we_ are the culture of Halloween Town!" he shouted. "If ya'll want your holiday friends to experience Halloween, then you need _us _to play. We've been the music of Halloween for over a century, and there weren't nobody before us. If it's Halloween they wanna hear, they want The Bones Brothers. 'Nuff said, I should think."

Then again, this was also a very compelling point. Jack had never looked more torn or bewildered.

"Okay, alright…" the skeleton interjected, massaging the temples of his skull. "I think my assistant and I need to break for lunch before this meeting can continue."

Unsurprisingly, this suggestion was also met with voiced disdain. Jack instructed them all to be back in the circle in half-an-hour, and then proceeded to ignore whatever else was said as he motioned for Sally to accompany him out of the room.

* * *

If there was anything else, aside from the paycheck, that compelled Sally to keep working for Jack, it was this.

Their lunches together were not always a given, usually taking place two or three times every week or whenever there was ample enough time. The conversation was almost always work-related, as it was a good opportunity for Jack to unabashedly list his concerns and confusions and have Sally offer counsel. In description only, it seemed like a completely unappealing set-up, yet she enjoyed the time together. The lunches had brought her and Jack close, and even once last week Jack had told her he felt like she was the only person who really knew him. For this reason, he said, he considered her his best friend and he hoped that wasn't too forward. Sally assured him it wasn't and that she returned the affection. '_And then some…_' she'd think wistfully to herself later on, wishing _that_ emotion was mutual as well.

On this particular afternoon Jack was especially restless. He paced the length of the dining room while Sally sat at the head chair, normally reserved for the King during dinner parties, and absentmindedly mixed her eyeball salad with a fork. She didn't bother encouraging him to sit down and try to relax, as she had long ago learned that it would be completely disregarded.

"I _really _thought they'd agree to share," Jack mumbled, rubbing the part of his skull where a chin would normally be. "I mean, it seems fair enough, doesn't it? A compromise isn't going to please both parties completely, but at least everyone gets a little bit of what they want. How do they not understand that?"

"I think they understand it perfectly," Sally corrected. "Unfortunately, they both just want it to be all or nothing."

Jack sighed. "That seems awfully selfish."

"It does, doesn't it?"

Jack sat down beside his friend, rubbing his hands together and starting fixedly at the surface of the dining room table.

"And they both have very, very compelling arguments…" he continued. "Toil and Trouble certainly would bring in some of the other Holiday residents, and we've been striving to be more open to them. It would be a great opportunity for all of them to see how Halloween is run. It could, potentially, be the _best _Halloween ever…"

Sally chuckled to herself. Having the _best_ Halloween ever had been a goal of Jack's for as long as she had existed, and probably long before. He'd yet to have the _best _Halloween, though it was a given that each year he'd search for something special to add to each celebration to try and achieve it. The something's that he would find would either go over very well or extremely bad, last Christmas being the most prevalent example of the latter, even it was, technically, for another holiday.

"Then again," he said, gesturing with his hands as though they were a weighted scale. "Cornelius was right when he said The Bones Brothers are the sound of Halloween. Even if they aren't the most popular right now, they've been performing for such a long time. It just wouldn't feel right to not have them there…"

She allowed a brief moment of silence to pass so that Jack could consider the two different choices, before speaking up once more.

"You're forgetting one very important thing, Jack…"

He looked up at her somewhat hopefully from leaning on his palms.

She smiled. "You're the _Pumpkin King. _You can make the decision for them."

For a moment, he looked as though this point had only just been brought to his attention and nearly relieved, almost as if he intended to exercise this power immediately. But he then shook his head, seeming to have thought better of it.

"I don't know, Sally…" he groaned. "I don't like being dictatorial…"

"And you normally aren't," she assured. "But in this instance, it seems like we really _need_ both of them to play. Maybe ordering them both to share isn't the best idea, but I bet if you pretend to choose just one and be firm about it, the other will be more agreeable to compromise. It sounds logical, right?"

He nodded. "It certainly does…and the other options don't seem extremely inviting…"

There was a pause, and Sally grinned slyly as she gently nudged him with her elbow to get him to speak. "Well, Jack? What'll it be?"

"The Bones Brothers," he winked.

* * *

The ultimate reaction to this tactic, however, was not exactly what Jack and Sally had anticipated.

As soon the meeting had reassembled, Jack announced his firm, unwavering decision that The Bones Brothers would be the only performing band this Halloween and _that _was _that_.

"I knew it!" Cornelius had exclaimed triumphantly. "I knew ya'll wouldn't let us down!"

Helga and Zelda, however, were quite taken back and initially complained against the decision. As they did so, Jack felt quite confident that they'd reconsider.

"Really? Them, over us?" Zelda asked incredulously.

"If I may be frank, your majesty," Helga added, drawing out the title with some noticeable sarcasm. "I think you're making a huge mistake, probably the biggest one of your reign. You know full well how popular we've become, and yet you insist on forcing these old men back on stage for what I can only assume is a sense of obligation. Well, that decision is your own and you will have to live with the consequences! As for my sister and I, our reputation will not be affected. Our desire to play exclusively on Halloween was merely for the town's benefit, as well as yours. We'll continue to amass an enormous following and you will quickly curse your unfortunate need for traditionalism!"

She then turned towards her smaller sister, her impartial keyboardist, and her mysterious guest and motioned her head jerkily for them to leave. "Come, all of you. We're through here."

Jack, panicked, looked desperately at his assistant. Sally was admittedly very surprised and ashamed and didn't hide this fact from her King. She had been certain that this appeal to their insecurities would work, but she had clearly underestimated them both. They had much more confidence in their strength as a group than she would have ever given them credit for. She might have been proud of them, had the situation not been what it currently was.

The King stepped forward slightly, as if he had intended to drop the act altogether and beg them to reconsider, which Sally knew would have yielded more devastating results. Before he could, however, the cloaked lump suddenly assumed a shockingly linear posture and turned towards the elder witch who had just reached out for the door handle.

"No, Helga," the figure countered with a voice that was so feminine and melodic it made a thick blanket of immovable silence smother the room. "We're _not _through here…"

Helga dropped the heavy handle with a thud and rushed over to the cloaked woman, clutching her skirts nervously as she approached.

"Excuse my dear cousin," Helga began, making an attempt to usher the much taller female to the door. "She does speak out of turn quite frequently. Something of an invalid-"

She was quickly cut off by the figure. "Lying through your teeth won't be necessary here, _cousin._"

What proceeded to transpire was a moment that no one soul present in the study that day will ever forget (though if a few of them were to do so, the accordionist, bassist, and Herb would be the most likely contenders).

In a swish of heavy, black fabric, the figure turned to face Jack. Two pale, slender, and surprisingly young-looking hands emerged from either side of the cloak and grasped the fringes of the hood. Slowly, as though they were unveiling the first act of a theatre performance or a museum attraction of great rarity, the hands pulled the hood back. The soft light of the mid-afternoon sun eventually broke the shadow created by the disappearing cotton, and caught the faintest shimmers of gold streaks in thick waves of tawny hair.

When the hood had finally been discarded completely, the personage hidden within was revealed. She was a very young, alabaster-skinned woman with a mass of golden-brown hair that was partially tied up in the back, and mostly allowed to flow down her back. Her eyes were rimmed strikingly in ebony charcoal, her lips painted in an equally as arresting shade of dark crimson. Her cheeks were high and hollow, and supported two hypnotizing eyes that were an unusual mix of wheat-brown and dark amethyst. They shimmered in the glow of the sun and surveyed Jack somewhat predatorily.

Her appearance had astounded them all for a time, but Sally broke free of the woman's allure long enough to see that Jack's jaw had fallen open. The reaction wasn't illogical but she still couldn't say she was entirely comfortable with it. Meanwhile, Herb had nudged the accordionist as he whispered to him about a hypothetical situation in which he wasn't married, the rest of which was thankfully inaudible to everyone else in the room.

"My name is Tivona O'Dwyer, your majesty," she explained. "And I _am _the cousin of Helagamine and Zeldaborne. I am also their new lead singer. Isn't that right, my dearest Helga?"

Having gotten a good look at Jack's initial reaction to Tivona, Helga had no qualms nodding her head in confirmation of this fact.

"Sir," Tivona continued. "I do so love to sing, and Halloween would have been an excellent opportunity for me to introduce my abilities to your town with the help of my cousins. But it seems that my loving relatives aren't agreeable to your compromise and won't perform due to their admittedly engorged egos."

Helga snorted a bit at this and Tivona ignored her. Instead, she took a few daring steps closer to Jack.

"Your majesty, I implore you to reconsider your decision. If my cousins aren't allowed to play exclusively this Halloween, they won't at all and I will never get the right opportunity for exposure as a new member of the band. Don't let their sense of self-confidence fool you, this could seriously affect my cousins' success, as well as mine as a singer!"

Everyone gasped a little when the young woman sporadically burst into sobs and proceeded to throw herself down at Jack's feet.

"Please, sir," she sobbed. "I've only ever wanted to sing! When I was a poor, poverty-stricken little girl, singing was sometimes the only thing that could distract me from how unbelievably hungry and tired I was. _Please, _sir…have mercy on my dream…"

Having recovered from the initial shock of what just happened, Jack knelt down to her level and placed unsure hands on her shoulders.

"Please, young lady," he comforted soothingly. "Don't cry. It pains me to hear you weep."

He then put a hand gently under her chin and lifted her head so that her damp eyes would meet his.

"In fact, I don't think I've ever felt so melancholy to hear and see someone cry. For some reason, Miss O'Dwyer, your tears make my metaphorical heart bleed."

He produced a handkerchief from his breast pocket and extended it to her.

"Please don't weep anymore," he begged. "It makes me feel as though I will never be happy again."

She sniffed and accepted the cloth token with a dreary smile. He returned the grin, relieved to see that his attempt to pacify her had been successful. Then, with more care than was probably necessary, Jack helped Tivona to her feet and didn't bother to completely drop his hands even after she had achieved a stable footing.

She dabbed at her eyes all the while, taking care not to smudge her make-up. "I will have no reason to cry, sir, if I know my cousins will perform this Halloween. They are too proud to admit defeat, but if you would take pity on all of us just this once and give my cousins what they ask for, I will be eternally in your debt."

Jack rubbed her back with one hand, while patting her arm comfortingly with the other.

"Of course, my dear," he nodded. "Anything to dry your eyes."

She looked up at him warmly, her dark lips beginning to form into a wide smile.

"Oh, I knew my cousins couldn't have been lying when they said you were a good, merciful king!"

With this exclamation, she swiftly wrapped her arms around his skeletal frame and maintained this position longer than was usually proper for two acquaintances. Jack was taken a bit off-guard by this, but his giddy expression seemed to suggest that he didn't find it unpleasant. Both Cornelius and Sally were simultaneously flabbergasted into submission, unable to decide what the proper response or reaction to this would be.

Finally, Cornelius seemed to decide on the same plan of action before Sally could, as it was he who stomped over and pulled the two apart.

"Now hold on just a moment," he said primarily to Jack, while looking between both of them. "You can't just make a promise to us and then immediately go back on it all because some foxy gal with big pretty eyes starts cryin'! You've changed, Jack. You wouldn'tah ever pulled this kinda crap before."

"I have to agree, Jack," Sally interjected, trying to suppress her mounting frustration. "You made a decision. Going back on it now for reasons that, quite frankly, don't seem very justified or impartial, will not reflect well on your public image."

Jack then got unsettlingly defensive.

"Now see here, all of you!" he proclaimed. "I am the _King _and I can choose whatever option I see fit. No one in this room or town has any right to openly defy me as you are all doing now. I am telling all of you that Toil and Trouble will perform exclusively at the Halloween celebration and that is my final say on the matter. Is there anyone here who _doesn't _fully grasp this concept?"

Naturally, it was only Sally who had the courage to continue speaking insubordinately.

"Jack, you're being utterly ridiculous about this whole-"

The Skeleton King then turned on his heel and advanced on her. When he had come with an uncomfortable proximity of where she sat, he leaned in close and their heads nearly touched.

"_You're _my assistant," he hissed. "I hired you to _assist_ me and dispense advice when I asked for it and at no other time. Judging my ability to rule was never in your job description. Lately, I've been unacceptably permissive of your tendency to do this. From now on, if you have nothing professional to add, you will keep silent until I ask you to do otherwise. Is that clear, Miss Stitches?"

For a moment, all Sally could do was stare at Jack disbelievingly, searching his eyesockets for a smidgeon of the skeleton she had always known. There had not been a trace of him in this previous statement. When it failed to show, however, she simply nodded and watched him stride back to the middle of the room.

In a split second, Tivona's strange eyes met with Sally's and there was an unmistakable smirk of victory sent the ragdoll's way. She blinked instinctively, and Tivona's telling look had vanished, replaced once more with an innocent, admiring concern directed at Jack. Sally shuddered.

Cornelius didn't dare try and continue the altercation after having witnessed what just happened between Jack and his closest confidant. He simply shoved his hands into his pockets and made to leave the room, the rest of his musicians following behind. His grumbles could still be heard echoing through the house until the band had exited the mansion completely.

"You've done the right thing," Helga said to Jack, finally breaking the tension. "People just want to see us, and that's a fact."

As if no one else was present in the room, Jack turned his attentions to Tivona and took both of her hands in his own.

"I truly can't wait to hear you sing," he mentioned warmly. "I bet your voice is as beautiful as you are."

Tivona blushed and turned her head away, shyly. "You are too kind, your majesty…"

"_Please, _call me Jack."

Sally resisted the urge to throw her chair at both of them before stomping out of the mansion and never returning.

Instead of this happening, Helga and Zelda interrupted the moment by grasping hold of Tivona and leading her away from their King.

"I do so appreciate you reconsidering, your Majesty," Helga said while pushing her "cousin" toward the doors. "I don't think we can thank you enough."

"Here, let me walk you to the door," he offered, following close behind the trio. He could be heard saying something about wanting to show Tivona his dying shrubs as the group entered the lobby. The sound was eventually vacuumed out, however, when they closed the front door behind them.

Herb straggled behind simply because he was too apathetic to match the speed of his bandmates. But before he left the study, he seemed to take notice of Sally sitting hurt and stunned in the chair farthest from the door. He lingered at the threshold to call out to her from across the room.

"Hey, uh…you okay, Miss Sally?" he asked cautiously.

As if snapping out of a trance, she quickly looked up at him and attempted to assume a convincingly pleasant expression.

"Oh, yes, Mr. Dobberstein, I'm quite alright…"

She then rose from her chair and grabbed her cardigan that she had draped over the back.

"I think I just need some fresh air." She pulled on the sweater as she said this, inconspicuously wiping her eyes when her hands came into contact with her face. "Yes, a walk would be nice…"

Herb looked around a bit, wondering if there was something else he was obligated to do in this case. "I…can escort you out, if you like?"

"Oh, no thank you, that won't be necessary. If you would, just tell the King I've stepped out and will be back shortly."

"Uhm…sure thing, Miss Sally."

Herb then shrugged and headed for the front doors while Sally went the opposite direction to the back exit.

* * *

When they had finally reached the cemetery and were far out of earshot of anyone, the three women proceeded to grasp each other and jump up and down gleefully.

"We did it, we did it!" Zelda chanted as they hopped in something of a circle formation.

"I'm afraid, sister," Helga began, breaking the impromptu dance. "That _we _really did nothing. We have Tivona to thank for all that has just happened."

Tivona waved off Helga's comment with feigned humility.

"Please, _cousin, _it was nothing. Really, I should be thanking both of you for bringing me to this magnificent town in the first place!"

"But really, Tiovna, you've done something to yourself," Helga said suspiciously. "What is all of…_this?_"

Tivona didn't necessarily need Helga's all-encompassing, sweeping hand motion to know what she was talking about.

"You mean you really don't know? Ladies, I would have thought you'd be able to recognize your own handiwork…"

She then stepped out in front of both them and did a little twirl, the heavy fabric of the cloak she still wore elegantly swirling around her heels.

It was the older sister who noticed the properties first, and she made a loud gasp while Zelda continued to look dumfounded.

"You _stole _from us!" she exclaimed. "You stole from our basement reserves! You greedy little-"

"Now, now, Helga," Tivona scolded. "Let's not forget that said thievery got us what we wanted. And anyway, I only took _one _pill- nothing crazy. If I had asked your permission you would have definitely said no and we'd all be much worse off than we are now."

The younger witch soon came to recognize the effects of the _Ensnare _pill along with her sister. It was a magickal drug they had developed some years ago at the behest of the lovelorn female citizens of Halloween Town. The drug was meant to work as more of a make-over, merely enhancing what was already there and emitting a certain kind of pheromone that would turn those already attracted into complete slaves. Certain individuals, however, misunderstood and assumed it was a garden-variety love potion. When the results of taking _Ensnare _included either complete disregard from a coveted one or a mere one night stand, a number of clients became angry and the sisters were forced to retire the pill completely for a love potion that was more straight-forward. Until that moment, the boxes of _Ensnare _jars had simply been sitting in the basement –along with a few other failed products- collecting dust.

In Tivona's case, the pills were especially effective, considering that she was already quite attractive and alluring. Because the pills were developed for Halloween females, however, the effects of the drug had given her embellished looks a certain gothic appeal, hence the especially snow-white skin and oddly colored eyes.

Helga sighed and crossed her arms over her chest. "Alright, I suppose I can excuse such behavior _this once. _But from now on, you are to ask before you use something of ours, is that clear?"

Tivona simply laughed -the effects making the sound pleasantly silvery and serene- and continued to sashay down the graveyard's dirt path.

"But what are we gonna do with her now?" Zelda chirped, skipping to keep up with Tivona. "We can't really send her back to the living world, especially since she's the only reason Jack's giving us what we want."

"No, you can't send me back," Tivona added. "And I won't go. I intend to stay here for the rest of my life."

Helga laughed nervously. "Surely, you don't mean that. You must have something waiting for you back home…"

Tivona shook her head, her golden tresses bouncing slightly. "Nothing, unless you count the man who would like to see me bleeding to death from a gunshot wound on Park Avenue…or some clients, of mine, I suppose, but they'll all find someone else and forget I ever existed."

For a moment, her voice had broken. The sisters suspected it might have been due to the sadness in her last statement but when she next opened her mouth, she seemed entirely unperturbed.

"Yes, I will most definitely stay here," she continued. "I will marry Jack and then all will be right. It will be as if I had never existed anywhere else…"

Helga suddenly jumped out in front of Tivona, stopping her from going any further. "_Marry _Jack?" she repeated, disbelievingly. "Are you out of your mind? You're a _human woman_, he's a _skeleton_."

Tivona grinned mischievously and dreamily clapped her hands together. "I _know, _isn't it perfect? A rich, eccentric, and lonely King who I'll never have to make love to and, in turn, can't knock me up with hoards of children. I would have never imagined I'd get _this _lucky!"

Zelda peeked around from behind Tivona. "You know, sister, she has a very good point!"

Completely stricken, Helga found she didn't have much to argue in this case. "Well…it certainly _seems _like a workable scenario, so far…I suppose you'll just keep taking the drugs and stringing Jack along…"

"Exactly," Tivona nodded. "He'll get a beautiful Queen to keep him company like he wants, I'll get an endless amount of money and the nobility to go with it like I want, and you guys will be more popular than ever…like _you _want. Everyone wins."

The sisters exchanged glances with one another, both a little unsure of what to make of the whole thing. Zelda was clearly a bit more keen on allowing things to play out than Helga, who had learned from years of experience that the best laid plans often go awry. But she reckoned at this point she didn't have much of a choice. It was either Tivona stayed and they performed on Halloween, or Tivona abruptly leaves and suspicions soon fall on she and her sister. If there were ever a clear point of no return, they had certainly reached it by now.

Tivona then coughed, breaking the momentary silence.

"Well, ladies, I do believe you've got yourself a new lead singer and Halloween is in, roughly, thirty-three days. We should probably get to practicing with each other, don't you think?"

"Can you even sing?" Helga asked, uncertain.

Tivona winked at the older witch. "I don't know, I've never really tried. But don't worry, the drugs will probably compensate for that."

Helga sighed and shook her head.

"We're doomed."


	5. Chapter 3 Letters Of Intent

**A/N- **I've decided that instead of whining every author's note about how much I think a particular chapter sucks, I'm going to say where I'd place it on a scale of 1-10, 10 being the best (SPOILER ALERT- there will never be a '10' chapter). As far as this chapter is concerned, I'd say it's somewhere between a 3 and a 4. Why? Well, for one, it's just one of those plot-advancement chapters where nothing interesting or ground breaking really happens, it just sets up for better stuff later. But since it was something of a flat chapter, I wasn't too excited about writing it and no matter how many times I revise it, it still seems lazy to me in the end. I guess this is just a warning for you guys as readers. Just..lower your expectations a bit, I suppose.

What is cool about this chapter is that I got a chance to bring in some recognizable NBC characters as well as…*drumroll*…a character from Corpse Bride. I'm totally serious, guys. But I'm not gonna tell who right now. I'll leave that as a surprise for when you get there.

I will say that I initially saw the inclusion of this particular Corpse Bride character in one of the Jack/Mary-Sue stories I'm sorta poking fun at. At first, I thought this was sorta random and silly, but as I thought more about it, I decided that having this character and Jack interact (as well as interact with the other NBC characters) would be awesome. So while it's meant to be sorta funny, I also genuinely think it's a cool idea and I'm excited to have this character interact further with my version of the NBC universe. So yes, after this chapter, he/she is here to stay. =D

**Disclaimer- **Something witty about not owning this stuff.

* * *

Upon finally returning to the mansion from a head-clearing walk, Sally was greeted by the sight of Jack sitting at her desk.

She couldn't say she was entirely surprised.

"Where have you been?" he asked coarsely, leaning back slightly in her chair. Remnants of his earlier aggression could still be detected in his voice. Sally could tell, however, that there was an underlying sense of remorse that betrayed the intimidating façade he was trying to maintain. She knew she should have found this encouraging, but she was still too hurt and angry to think much of it.

She came around the side of the desk and Jack proceeded to vacate the chair. She sat down, made herself comfortable, and pretended to organize some papers before she answered the question.

"I needed a walk," she said casually.

Jack huffed as he walked around to face her. "Didn't you have your 30-minute break with me, not an hour and a half ago?"

Sally now made a point of eye contact with him, ceasing whatever else she had pretended to occupy herself with.

"No, sir," she answered stiffly. "You see, you and I spent my entire break discussing work-related things."

Jack remained bewildered. "We've _always _done that. What made it any different this afternoon?"

"I was somehow misinformed about the nature of our relationship, _sir, _and for a time I had thought we were friends. I was also under the impression that you valued my thoughts and opinions on the issues you brought forth to me. Now, however, you have made it quite clear that our relationship is strictly professional and I fully intend to respect that. However, since I now know that my break was a _professional, work _related meeting wherein I my ideas were not heeded, I don't feel that it qualified as a _personal_ break and so I simply took the half an hour allotted to me to go for a walk. I apologize if this was an inconvenience, but I hope you can see my logic in doing so."

Unpleasantly astonished by Sally's distant, professional tone, Jack leaned into the desk from where he was on the opposite side and attempted to regain her attention, which had now been focused on typing a document. When she didn't immediately acknowledge him, he thought better of his tactic and returned back to a standing position. He turned so that his back was defiantly facing her.

"Perhaps you interpreted my words a bit too literally," he began, trying to remain stoic.

Her typing abruptly stopped and he knew she had to have now begun glaring at his back.

"I think I either did or I didn't, sir. There's unfortunately not a lot of gray area in this situation. It would be most helpful for me to know whether I did one or the other."

When Jack didn't immediately answer her, the typing resumed.

At this point, part of him wanted to hoist her out her chair by the shoulders and _insist _she stop this passive-aggressive nonsense, particularly the part about calling him '_sir' _over and over again. Another part wanted to collapse at her feet pathetically and beg for her to forgive his prior outburst.

Truthfully, he didn't quite know what had compelled him to be so cold to her in the first place. It wasn't something he had ever before felt the urge to do, especially not with Sally, his closest friend. But perhaps therein lay the whole mistake. Perhaps keeping up a friendship as close as the one they had between a subordinate and a superior was not the greatest idea. Perhaps there would come other occasions in which he'd feel like snapping at her or demanding that she do her job was the only option available to him.

He was extremely loath to admit it, but perhaps he couldn't be Sally's best friend and her boss simultaneously. From now on, it seemed, he would have to be as distant with her as she was now being with him. He didn't like this solution in the least, but what else could he do?

He surveyed Sally for a moment as she continued to slave away at her work, pretending she didn't notice him watching her. With a sigh that encompassed his residual anger and pained sense of loss, he soon turned and retreated back to his study.

* * *

The next afternoon found Helga, Zelda, and Tivona lounging out on the witches' front patio balcony in lawn chairs.

The cool, dry breeze had been inviting them to break from their band practice for some time, and eventually they could only relent. With sunglasses and spiked apple cider, the three women settled in to enjoy an hour or so in the fresh air.

"Halloween Town sure is beautiful in late September," Helga sighed, taking sip from her tall glass.

Zelda nodded and glanced over at Tivona. "Someday, we hope to be something of a fall tourist mecca for the other Holiday worlds. No one does it quite like us, as you can plainly see."

Tivona slightly swiveled her head to the left, continuing to let it rest on the chair. "Isn't _always _fall here? I mean, you guys are Halloween Town, aren't you?"

"Autumn is the only season we really get here, but it lasts as long as it does where you come from," Helga explained. "The rest of the year is just rather ugly and barren."

Tivona nodded in understanding and then straightened out her white and black polka-dot sundress before allowing herself to completely relax back into the chair once more.

"So, I wonder what Jack is gonna do to get your attention," Zelda wondered mischievously, putting an end to the brief silence.

This caused Tivona to smirk and chuckle softly in her throat. "I'm not sure, Zelda, but he seems like the romantic type. I can tell it's not going to be anything lackluster."

Helga laughed out loud. "You can be sure of that, missy! The King never does _anything _half-heartedly. Be prepared to get completely swept off your feet. Who knows? You might even legitimately fall in love with him."

Tivona grinned to herself and took a sip of her cider. "Not likely, Helga."

It was at this moment that the disquieting sound of children giggling could be heard approaching from the distance. It caused the trio of women to sit up slightly in their chairs and look vaguely in the direction of the noise.

"I thought you guys were isolated out here in the woods," Tivona felt compelled to mention. "I didn't realize you'd have neighbors with _children_…"

Helga rose completely from her chair and walked swiftly to the left side of the balcony to peer over the railing.

"We _don't,_" was her bewildered reply.

Zelda soon hopped out of her chair as well, and bounced over to her sister's side.

"Sister, you don't think it's…?"

The siblings soon found out that it was, in fact, the group of children Zelda feared to say the name of. Coming around the bend at that moment, laughing maniacally and wielding burlap sacks of some sort, was the infamous group of trick-or-treaters, Lock, Shock, and Barrel.

"Curses!" Helga hissed under her breath. She instructed her sister to quickly fetch their broomsticks, before climbing on to the railing and assuming a full standing position (or as much as her already hunched spine would allow).

"You three have _some _nerve coming back on to our property!" she shouted, a ball of fire beginning to form in her right hand. "You have no idea how long it took both of us to get the pigs' blood off the house after your _last _little visit. Why, I have half a mind to turn you all into toads and throw you into my cauldron!"

The three children snickered louder, much to the witch's chagrin. She responded to this by throwing the fireball that had been forming in her palm directly into their path. When the laughing soon turned to screaming, Tivona found she couldn't continue watching this scene from her patio chair, and so she joined Helga's side at the railing to get a better look.

She saw that the fire hadn't made contact with either of the three, but it did seem successful in rattling the humor out of them.

"Hey, cool your jets, old lady!" Lock, the boy in the devil's costume cried out to her. "We're only here to deliver something!"

"Hah!" Helga shouted, proceeding to throw yet another firey ball towards them. The three scattered like roaches as the fire exploded on the dirt path where they had been standing.

"You're a psychotic old bat, you know that?" Shock, the witch-costumed girl added, peeking out from her point of refuge behind a tree.

"Well, if I am, then it was punk kids like you that made me this way!"

Tivona then interrupted the exchange by taking hold of Helga's forearm. "Old friends of yours, I presume?"

Helga was now conjuring a flame in either hand. "Friends? More like a snot-nosed trio of delinquents that need to be taught a thing or two!"

Before the eldest witch could toss her two fully developed flames, Barrel, the chubbier boy in a skeleton costume, bravely jumped out into the center of the gravel path. "Stop!" he pleaded, waving his arms. "We just need to deliver something to some chick named Tivona O'Dwyer! It's from Jack!"

Tivona didn't hesitate to awkwardly climb onto the railing and grasp Helga's wrists, preventing her from completing the action with the fireballs. "Helga, didn't you hear that? They have something for me! It's from _Jack_!"

When Zelda suddenly arrived back out on the patio with the two broomsticks, Tivona snatched one up, straddled it, and pushed herself off the balcony. Helga and Zelda gasped, certain that the girl would fall to her death (or to a great, prolonged pain). Surprisingly, however, Tivona was more or less successful in getting the broom to gently and clumsily glide her down to where the three children awaited with their burlap bags.

Upon making contact with the ground, she threw the broom carelessly to the side and ran across the leaf-strewn lawn as fast as her unnecessarily high heels would allow.

"What is it? What is it?" she giddily demanded to know, reaching out her hands to Barrel.

Shock wrinkled her nose at Tivona with a mix of disgust and curiosity. "It's just a letter and a crumby flower," she snorted.

After fishing it out of his bag, Barrel produced an envelope that had a black, silk ribbon tied across it in order to secure the aforementioned flower. Much to Tivona's distaste, the flower was a wilted black rose.

"Oh, how…nice…"

"Don't lie," Lock chuckled. "You hate it!"

"Should we tell that to Jack?" Shock chimed in. "Should we tell him she hates it?"

Barrel then puffed out his chest and glared at his two companions. "Hey, _shut up_, you guys and leave her alone!"

The devil and the witch then refocused their mocking efforts on him, proceeding to chant endlessly about Barrel having a crush on 'the new girl'.

Tivona ignored this completely and once more seized the broom she had tossed by the wayside not moments ago. The ascension back up to the balcony was only slightly more awkward than when she had flown down, but Helga and Zelda were a bit more interested in the gift from Jack than they were in her flying capabilities.

"Hey!" Lock called back up to them before they could rip open the envelope. "You broads owe us a tip! We don't do this delivery thing just for fun, you know!"

Helga broke away from the huddle that she, her sister, and Tivona had formed around the letter to speak more directly to the children from the railing.

"Since _when _have you three felt compelled to do anything but be little douchebags?"

"Since Jack killed The Boogie Man, our employer, and made us go broke," Shock answered, sticking out her tongue.

"Since the Mayor hired us, thinking that a sense of purpose and duty would help us out of our delinquency," Barrel added.

"Say what you will about us, Helga," Lock shouted back. "But we do our jobs well. Ask the Mayor, he'll tell you we're the best delivery boys he ever had!"

"How terribly unfortunate for him!" Helga spat. "Now just stay where you are, all of you! I'm sure Miss O'Dwyer will have her response written shortly."

Lock huffed. "Make it quick!"

Helga then joined Zelda and Tivona at the patio table in the middle of the balcony where they had already ripped open the envelope and pulled out the parchment within. Tivona flattened it out on the surface with her hands and proceeded to read the beautifully scrawled-out words:

_Dear Miss Tivona O'Dwyer,_

_I do not wish for this letter to come off as too forward, but I feel I must speak my mind. Your impression on me has been a lasting one, perhaps more so than that of anyone I've ever encountered before. For this reason, I believe it is wisest for me to be as honest as possible, and so I hope you will forgive my candor throughout the course of this letter. _

_After having met you a day ago, it seems that not an hour passes in which I am not filled with thoughts of you. From the moment I first laid eyes on your ravishing beauty, to the heartbreaking interval in which I was forced to watch you weep, to the last bitter seconds before you walked away, I experienced more passionate emotions than I have ever felt in the entire course of my existence. I want you to understand that you have affected me deeply, Miss O'Dwyer, even to the very depths of my soul. _

_I also find you endlessly fascinating, and I long to become better acquainted with you, perhaps so that I may one day be permitted to speak this openly to you face-to-face. I know so regrettably little about you that it sometimes makes me ache. You might have guessed that I would so love to see you write back that you'd like to know me better too, or even that you have just enough patience to offer me a chance. However, I fully understand and maybe even anticipate that this feeling isn't mutual, and if so you may politely decline and I will never bother you again. _

_If, however, this sounds like an agreeable situation, allow me to be more specific in my proposal. If you say yes, Miss O'Dwyer, I intend to court you. I believe firmly in the values of chivalry and I would like to win your heart fairly, should you like to offer it to me as a prize. I should like to approach you, slowly, with gifts and tokens of my affection. If these prove worthy of you, I would then like to spend some time in your company. Perhaps I can accompany you to dinner, or to a performance. Perhaps you'd like to make an outing to another holiday town (the mountains of Christmas Town are beautiful this time of year). Or maybe you would just enjoy some quiet time in with a chess game or a film. This I will find out with time, or so I hope. _

_Before you consider either option too intently, Miss O'Dwyer, allow me to be blunt in my ultimate goals. I am a lonely King, you must understand, and I have found myself from time-to-time wishing I had a Queen to rule alongside me and a wife to cherish and keep me company. I am seeking out your favor with this specific prospect, Miss O'Dwyer. That is, namely to see if you and I would be well suited for one another in this respect. Again, I am well aware that I know so little of you, but my intuition tells me that were you willing, you would make for an excellent wife and Queen._

_I also realize that as a skeleton, I have very little to offer you. You are a breathtakingly beautiful young sorceress with much promise and prospect before you. It is also obvious that you could have your choice of men, all of whom I'm sure are more worthy than I in more than a few aspects. I will also eventually acknowledge the biggest elephant in the room of this situation if circumstances require. I am sure that you, a full-grown, knowledgeable, world-wise woman know as to what I am referring, and because the matter is simply too delicate to be addressed within my first formal letter to you, I will now drop the subject entirely. But do know I keep it in mind and intend to grace the issue when and if both of us become ready._

_For the time being, please do consider all that I have written here. I will be patiently awaiting your response. _

_Sincerely yours,_

_King Jack Skellington _

Zelda clapped her hands over her mouth and made a sound reminiscent of a young piglet. "_How_ romantic!" she squealed.

The trick-or-treaters, who had also apparently been listening intently to the letter's contents, could be heard making vomiting sounds down below them.

Helga, on the other hand, wasted no time in conjuring up a blank piece of parchment and a quill, and set them both in front a very smug looking Tivona.

"Hurry up and write your reply letter," she encouraged. "And do _try_ to make it somewhat as charming and sweet as his."

Tivona picked up the two items given to her, got up from the table, and returned to her lawn chair to write the letter in private.

"Aren't you gonna read it to us?" Zelda asked eagerly.

She scoffed slightly as she began scribbling on the parchment, crossing her legs to provide some surface support. "Please, ladies, don't be intrusive. It's very unbecoming."

* * *

"Yes, yes, I understand that we had a problem last year with mummies being unraveled, and I can assure you that we're doing everything we can to- _no_-_ yes, _yes ma'm, I understand…"

He continued to stand in the lobby quietly, nervously adjusting his tie and pulling his collar every now and then as he inexplicably felt very hot. He continued to watch Sally patiently as he had done since he arrived five minutes ago. As she typically did during heated phone conversations, she had swiveled her chair towards the wall and was unable to see or hear anything else. It was a poor habit for secretary to develop, he had to admit, but he found it somewhat excusable in Sally's case.

Eventually, the phone call ended and Sally turned back around sharply to drop the receiver back into its holder. He had just become very fascinated with his feet when she finally saw him, and so her sudden exclamation caught him by surprise.

"Victor!"

His eyes shot up to meet hers, startled.

"Oh, S-Sally, good to see you again! I'm so s-sorry, but I had to let myself in due to…the, uh-"

He was cut off when she got up from her chair and met him with a brief hug.

"Victor, I haven't seen you around here in so long. Have you been busy?"

"Oh, yes, I suppose you could say that," he chuckled. "My brothers and I are always having a time of it with the blood bank, you know…"

She smiled warmly at him. "Of course, I understand. Well, it's great to see you in any case. I assume you're here to see Jack?"

"Uhm yes," he nodded, before shifting his weight anxiously and avoiding eye contact with her. "But I-I wouldn't be opposed to just visiting you once and a while, Miss Sally, i-i-if you'd ever allow me…"

"Of course, Victor!" she assured. "You're welcome to visit me anytime."

He was pleased to hear this from her, though he suspected she failed to catch on to the deeper implications of this request. However, this had been the norm with he and Sally for as long as he'd been keeping up this particular effort, and so he had become somewhat used to the discouragement.

"I'll just let you in," Sally said finally, walking towards the study doors. "Jack's been somewhat preoccupied today. Also I'd just like to avoid talking to him."

This last statement made Victor's eyebrow raise curiously, begging an explanation. After having heaved the doors open, she merely placed a hand on his upper arm and whispered that she'd explain it later. When she returned to her desk, Victor made a conscious effort to throw this concern far from his present thoughts and be gracious to his host.

"Well, if it isn't Mr. VanDort!" Jack called merrily. He was currently balancing on a ladder that was set up against the closest bookcase to the entryway, and thumbing through a book that Victor couldn't yet see the identity of.

"Do come in, Victor, and make yourself comfortable!" he beckoned.

Victor made the last few steps required to immerse himself completely in the cavernous room, and the doors soon closed behind him automatically.

He laughed a bit as he approached Jack. "I wonder why Sally didn't use that trick a moment ago. 'Seems it would have been a lot easier!"

Jack's expression and demeanor suddenly became very grave, and he proceeded to push the book he had chosen previously back into its shelf with more force than was warranted.

"Sally has lost that privilege for the time being." He said simply.

Feeling increasingly uncomfortable with whatever it was that had obviously wedged itself in between his two friends, Victor decided it would be a good time to change the subject.

"So, Jack, I do believe you called me here to…what was it…_assist _you with a gift?"

Jack shot Victor a sly look before descending the ladder and joining his friend in a brief walk to the middle of the study, wherein resided an ancient, black Grand Piano.

"Yes, that's right…but I suppose I should start from the beginning…"

Jack then motioned for Victor to have a seat in the piano chair, suggesting that this would be somewhat of a lengthy recount. For the time being, Victor didn't mind terribly. He was genuinely interested in knowing what sort of gift they'd be creating together and to whom would it be given.

"You see, my friend, I have _met _a woman. Just yesterday, in fact."

Victor remained silent for a moment, not sure how to respond. Meanwhile, Jack had visibly straightened his posture and proudly held the lapels of his collar, awaiting his reply.

"Oh…that's nice," Victor said finally, unsure. "Women are delightful creatures, to be sure. You know, I also met a lovely old corpse woman just the other day at the market. She was telling me something about her grandkids-"

"No, no no…" Jack interjected, waving his hands back and forth to dismiss the thought. "I don't mean to say that I met just _any _woman in a completely casual, everyday context. I mean to say that I've met a woman I'm strongly attracted to, someone I'm interested in courting."

Victor made a gasp of realization. "Oh, I see! How silly of me!"

Jack then walked around to face his friend, and leaned in slightly, visibly excited. "I had just sent her a letter asking if she'd be interested in allowing me to pursue her. I received her reply not an hour before you arrived."

"Really?" Victor asked disbelievingly. "Well, let's have it then!"

The skeleton sat down beside him on the piano chair and produced a piece of parchment from his inner coat pocket. After a throat-clearing cough, he began to read.

_Dearest Jack, _

_I was pleased to have received a letter and gift of a wilted rose from you. Helga tells me that this is a sign of deep affection in your town and, I must admit, the knowledge of this is quite encouraging. _

_I also confess that I was quite taken by you within our first meeting. In the time we were apart, I kept telling myself to not be delusional enough to think that the Pumpkin King would have any interest in me. How surprised I was -I'm sure you can imagine- when I received your letter and gracious gift. _

_After having considered your offer as you requested, Mr. Skellington, I have come to the conclusion that I would very much like to invite your methods of courtship. I admire a man who is not afraid to voice his feelings honestly, and I feel that your frankness in your ultimate intentions for us shows that you have great respect for me. _

_We have loneliness in common, Mr. Skellington, as I too have been in solitude for an extended period of time. A sizeable part of me so desperately desires to marry and take a husband, someone who will hopefully love and care for me as much I do for him. For all of these reasons, I am not opposed to your long-term prospects for me at all. I do hope you and I will get along as we come to know each other, and I also pray that I will continue to prove worthy enough to you as a potential bride. _

_For what it is worth, Mr. Skellington, I want you to know that I am not as preoccupied with the same petty concerns that plague most women. I believe that relationships must be based on something more substantial than the physical, and I can tell right away that you will compensate handsomely in every other area for whatever you may lack in this former respect. Do not dwell on it, for I doubt it will ever be of much consequence to me either way. _

_My excitement at the prospect of our budding relationship is beyond words right now. I look forward to seeing where this courtship will ultimately lead us in the end. _

_For now, I leave you with a simple phrase of my native Hawaii, often spoken between potential lovers:_

"_Nou No Ka 'I 'ini." _

_Someday soon, I will tell you what it means. _

_All my affection,_

_Tivona _

"She certainly seems like a lovely girl," Victor commented once Jack had finished.

Jack sighed dreamily as he pocketed the letter once more and began staring aimlessly into the distance, a goofy smile having now graced his features.

"Oh, she's more than that, Victor. Much more."

He rose from the piano chair and Victor, having gotten the feeling that his friend was on the verge of a poetic description, began a soft rendition of 'Moonlight Sonata'.

"She's like the dry, cold air on an October night," Jack sighed once more, beginning a trance-like, gradual walk around the piano. "She's like the golden glow of the full moon on the trees. She's the grace of the autumn leaves as they dance across the cobblestones. She's the warmth of cider on a chilly evening…"

"That sounds wonderful," Victor interrupted, continuing to play. "But I still don't have a good idea of what she looks like…"

"Oh, Victor…to ask me to describe her beauty is to ask me to bottle stars…it simply can't be done. Even if I were to try, it would pale in the wake of the reality. No, I just couldn't disgrace her that way…you will have to see her to truly know."

He most certainly had no response to that, or at least not any that he'd want Jack to hear.

Instead, he just coughed, hoping it would pull Jack from his love-sick reverie. "So, then, you and I are going to make a gift for this exquisite creature? I can't help but wonder what one would gift a probable _goddess _with?"

Jack spun around to exclaim excitedly, "Why, _music, _of course! Why else would I have fished out this old piano?"

He then stepped back a little from his overwhelming enthusiasm to cross his arms and brood in frustration. "The only problem is, I simply _can't _find a song that does her justice…do you have any ideas?"

"Well, there _is _one little tune that comes to mind," Victor shrugged. "But remember that I've never seen this…Miss O'Dwyer before in my life, and so I apologize if it comes off as inadequate. I, however, find it to be one of the most simplistically beautiful love songs I've ever heard. It's well-within your range of singing, too."

Eagerly, Jack motioned for Victor to show him his idea. Victor then cracked his knuckles in preparation, cleared his throat, and began to play the first few melodic notes.

* * *

**A/N- **So what did I say? Crappy chapter, right? Yes, no, maybe so?

Also, what do you guys think of having Victor as part of the gang? As I mentioned before, I'm really excited about it and I love having him and Jack as bros. I _do _realize, also, that there are some questions of origin that haven't been addressed yet in this chapter, namely, why he is here, what happened to Victoria and Emily, is he dead, etc, etc, etc…

I won't tell you exactly what Victor is yet (though there is at least one blatant clue in this chapter), but I will explain him in the context of this story to the best of my ability.

To put it simply, this is still the Victor VanDort as we know him from Corpse Bride (for all intents and purposes). I am going to try to portray this character as seen in the film to the best of ability. As far as his own canon is concerned (Emily, Victoria, all of that) I will allow the reader to make up their own story. Perhaps, shortly in to Victor's marriage to Victoria, a certain 'something' happened to him (as it did to all of his aforementioned brothers who we don't see in the film because they, too, fled) and he was forced to leave to protect her. Better yet, maybe Victoria was killed by the creature that "changed" Victor, and, again, he was forced to flee to Halloween Town to live with his brothers where he'd be accepted and taken care of (I don't say 'better yet' because I dislike Victoria, but because it will work better for my plot intents).

I don't know, you guys can decide that for yourselves, personally, as I will most likely leave it purposefully ambiguous. We do know for a fact that Victor has been in Halloween Town for sometime (as when Jack goes to "Earth", we can see it's sometime during the late 20th century, so Victor has to have been there for 100 years or so). For this reason, we can assume that he has more or less come to terms with and healed from whatever misfortune befell he and Victoria that short into their marriage (though I would not begin to suggest that he would ever just "forget" her or Emily. He will always hold them both dear to his heart, no matter what). All I'm trying to say is that Victor is probably ready now to pursue another romantic relationship and probably, definitely will in this story *hint hint notsosubtle*. I think we can also assume that Victor is a bit more mature than he was in Corpse Bride, given the amount of time he's been living now and all of the hardships he's had to endure.

So, tl;dr, here's the rundown on this story's version of Victor VanDort-

1. He's essentially the same character from the Corpse Bride, just a bit more mature.

2. He has become some kind of **immortal **so that's why he's in Halloween Town, still looks 20-something even though he's 120-something, and lives with his brothers who are also **immortal. **

3. He runs a **blood bank **with his brothers. *cough*

4. Something happened to him and Victoria not long into their marriage that caused Victor to become an immortal and flee to Halloween Town to live with his brothers.

5. After 100 years, Victor seems to have healed enough from whatever happened to his late wife to be ready to pursue another relationship, though he will never forget Emily or Victoria and will always love them both.

So, let me know what you think of him, guys. If you don't like him or the story, please don't hesitate to tell me what I can improve.

Thanks!


	6. Chapter 4 Too Good To Be True

**A/N- **Today's chapter rating is about a 5.5, I think. It's not terrible, but it certainly isn't of Shakespearean caliber (never mind that the title of this story and the plot -albeit very loosely- are throwbacks/homages to Shakespeare's 'A Midsummer Night's Dream', or that I make a reference in this chapter to '10 Things I Hate About You', a movie based on 'The Taming Of The Shrew').

I do want to very much want to point out that you may find this chapter **cheesier than value-menu nachos. **Seriously. Between Jack's serenade and Tivona's awful acting abilities, it gets pretty trying. But I did intend for this chapter to be a bit over the top for the sake of comedy. I'm hoping it'll make you laugh and not give yourself a lobotomy with a rusty screwdriver. Just remember what I'm parodying here, folks (and just try reading some of _those_ stories sometime. You'll get chapters just like this that _weren't _written ironically. Yikes.). Okay, so just let me know what you think of my character/plot development so far. Feel free to add your specific thoughts and suggestions after you've read.

Thanks again to all of you who are following along patiently with this story, even those who haven't reviewed or made themselves known to me. I know you're out there, don't be shy!

**Disclaimer- **Burton's.

* * *

"Alright, everyone, practice starts again in _five _minutes. Be ready by then or I'll hex you!"

Helga's shouted warning from the kitchen didn't reach Tivona's ears, despite the fact that she was well-within hearing range.

She currently sat on the tattered couch in the living room, nursing a piping hot cup of witch hazel tea to soothe her vocal chords. The effects of _Ensnare _had gifted her with a singing voice not yet paralleled by anyone in the Town. The sound of it was so harmonic and celestial that it nearly made her band mates weep when she had first demonstrated her abilities. Unfortunately, it strained her throat something terrible and when she would come off the drug, it felt almost as if searing hot lava had been poured down her throat. For this reason, Helga had boiled her some tea with magickal properties to protect her weak, human throat (though not without a few mutters about how stupid it was for Tivona to have taken the pills in the first place, and hadn't she told her it was a bad idea?).

Nevertheless, this is not what had her preoccupied.

As of that afternoon, it would have been three days since she had heard from Jack. She cursed herself for entrusting the letter to those three miscreants, as it was no doubt all or one of them who probably did everything imaginable to it aside from giving it to the intended recipient. Because of her grave mistake, she thought, she would have single-handedly ruined the most sublimely perfect opportunity to marry rich. Worst of all, she couldn't go crawling back to Jack, weeping about how sorry she was the letter didn't reach him and how much she would just _adore _having him court her. Her most useful tactic in this charade- as it typically was- would be playing a round of hard-to-get. If the letter hadn't reached him, her chances of performing said game were out completely.

Furthermore, she didn't even want to contemplate the unimaginable alternative, that is, that Jack had for some reason lost interest her. No, that was impossible.

Wasn't it?

"Hey! Didn't I say to be _ready _in five minutes?"

Helga's sudden exclamation -which was surprisingly close to her ear- snapped Tivona out of her worried reverie.

"What in the blazes are you doing, anyway?" Helga continued. "Meditating?"

Tivona slammed the tea cup down on the end table closest to the couch and rose to join the rest of the band a few steps away.

"Oh, calm down, won't you? You're going to give yourself a panic attack one of these days…"

Zelda, meanwhile, absentmindedly tapped out a few drum solos. Herb cheerily played 'Gotta Get You Into My Life'. Suffice it to say, both of them had become more or less accustom to Helga and Tivona's squabbles and now treated them as casually as they would the sound of the wind blowing.

Helga mumbled and cursed under her breath as she tuned and readied her guitar. "Well, now that our lead singer has decided to join us, what do you all say we start with 'I Put a Spell On You'?"

"_Really_?" Tivona asked sarcastically, adjusting her mic. "I sorta thought 'Black Magic Woman' needed some work…"

Herb coughed loudly in his discomfort, and Zelda just stared, a bit frightened.

Helga glared at Tivona before letting into her with an unsettlingly facetious remark. "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't realize you were the leader of this band now!"

"Helga, I was just-"

The much shorter witch approached the human woman until they were unreasonably close, and beckoned her to kneel down to her level. This Tivona did, though very reluctantly.

"Listen to me, Tivona," Helga began through gritted teeth. "Just because you're the gorgeous singer doesn't mean you run the show. You're not the first lead vocalist in a rock band to make that mistake, but I'm going to make sure the misconception doesn't get any farther than this one instance. _You're _not much more than a pretty face, and _I'm _the brains of the operation. When I say we play a song, we play that song, no questions asked. Do I make myself clear?"

Tivona simply nodded, but Helga didn't immediately dismiss her from their private conversation.

"And I don't want you to think that just because I'm worried about you I'm going to let you get away with this sort of behavior."

She then felt compelled to look the witch in the eye.

"You're _worried _about me? _Why_?"

Helga scoffed a bit, attempting to maintain her emotional distance. "Don't be foolish, Tivona. You know why. Look, you know as well as I do he'll contact you again. He's probably just trying to keep his distance, as most men are want to do in this sort of situation. Just get your panties out of the wad they've no doubt crumpled themselves into and have a good practice session with us. Okay?"

Tivona smiled slyly at Helga, and attempted to initiate a hug. Helga, having none of it, swatted her hands away and walked back to her previous position. Zelda and Herb, who had been pretending not to eavesdrop, suppressed very audible chuckles at this last exchange. Helga ordered them to shut up while Tivona returned to facing her mic.

"Alright then," the older witch sighed. " 'I Put a Spell On You' on the count of three. One, two-"

The sudden, unexpected sound of grand piano keys coming from outside abruptly ended their session before it could even begin.

"Have we no privacy at all here anymore?" Helga shouted.

Herb, interested by all things musical (particularly piano), quickly abandoned his station at the keyboard and exited through the sliding glass doors to the patio balcony, eager to investigate the source of this sound. Helga looked somewhat betrayed by this action, but she made no attempts to stop it. Zelda, also extremely curious, soon followed him.

Tivona and Helga remained for a moment in utter silence, staring at one another as if they expected the other woman to make a decisive choice on the matter.

Finally, Tivona shrugged, left her mic, and strode to the sliding doors. With an exasperated sigh, Helga put her guitar back in its stand and followed suit.

When Herb and Zelda (who was currently standing on a chair next to the balcony railing to compensate for her lack of height) realized that the other two members of their band had joined them, they turned around and gave Tivona simultaneous, knowing smirks.

"Come on, you two!" Zelda beckoned with a feverish hand. "Here, Tivona, you stand right here in between Herb and I…"

As Tivona made her way over to follow Zelda's instructions, the music of the grand piano became a bit sparser and soft. It was soon accompanied by male vocals, the sound of which was extremely familiar.

"_You're just too good to be true…"_

When she and Helga both came close enough to the railing to see down below, the identity of the singer and musician was revealed to them.

Right on the leaf strewn lawn in front of the house sat an old, black grand piano -with amazing sound for its evident condition- being played by Victor VanDort,. He was accompanied by none other than The Pumpkin King himself, who was currently holding a cordless microphone and standing directly in front of the balcony. He gazed up longingly at Tivona while he crooned the first few lyrics of the song.

"_Can't take my eyes off of you…you'd be like heaven to touch…I wanna hold you so much…"_

Zelda's small body could hardly seem to contain her enthusiasm. She giddily bounced up and down on the balls of her feet, while squealing almost inaudibly to herself.

"_At long last love has arrived…and I thank god I'm alive…you're just too good to be true…can't take my eyes off of you…" _

It was at this moment that The Bones Brothers appeared from their respective hiding spots nearby and joined to accompany Jack and Victor in the musical bridge. Jack treated his audience to an obligatory dance during this momentary interlude. He was also tossed a top hat and cane from some unseen source and these he used to enhance the incoming chorus.

"_I love you, baby, and if it's quite alright, I need you baby to warm a lonely night, I love you baby…trust in me when I say…"_

It was at this point that Jack's dancing had become more fevered, yet it remained exceedingly elegant and skilled. Using the entire surface area available to him, he weaved in and out of the musicians, around the piano, and even sometimes on the tree beside them.

"_Oh pretty baby, don't bring me down I pray, oh pretty baby, now that I've found you, stay and let me love you, baby, let me love you…"_

He made sure to stare directly at Tivona while holding this last note. Herb, Zelda, and Helga also attempted to get a look at her reaction to all of this, and neither of the three could decide if her subsequent blush and silly grin were false or genuine.

While the song went in to its next instrumental solo, Tivona broke off from the group huddle around the railing and began descending the stairs on the side of the balcony that lead to the lawn below. Jack must have seen that she was approaching, as he made some sweeping gesture to the men around him that apparently indicated they should cut the solo and go straight to the next verse.

"_Pardon the way that I stare…" _he sang as he slowly walked over to meet her at the end of the stairs. "_There's nothing else to compare…"_

When she finally arrived at the final step, Jack gently took her left hand in his and helped her down.

"_The sight of you leaves me weak…there are no words left to speak…"_

Just as the lyrics had suggested, Jack seemed unable to look away from Tivona as he proceeded to lead her by the hand back across the lawn. When they arrived back in front of the piano –where Jack was standing at the beginning of the song- he knelt down on one knee and finished the remainder of the verse while still holding her hand and looking deeply into her eyes.

"_But if you feel like I feel…please let me know that it's real…you're just too good to be true…can't take my eyes off of you…" _

Then, in one fell swoop, Jack stood, tossed the microphone to the side, and pulled Tivona close to him. Victor, the accordionist and the bassist took up the role of singing for the remaining chorus so that Jack could waltz with his intended across the scattered leaves. Meanwhile, Helga, Zelda, and Herb responded to this action with some encouraging whoops and hollers.

"_I love you baby, and if it's quite alright, I need you, baby, to warm a lonely night, I love you baby…trust in me when I say…oh, pretty baby, don't bring me down I pray, oh pretty baby, now that I've found you, stay, and let me love you, baby, let me love you…."_

When Victor and the remaining musicians finally arrived at the end of this final note, Jack twirled Tivona and then caught her in a dip. This dramatic ending was met with a round of applause, courtesy of the trio on the ledge, and Victor mumbling a shy 'thank you' into his own mic.

"Oh, Jack…" Tivona sighed dreamily as he helped her back to her feet. "That was _so _romantic…"

"You liked it?" he asked disbelievingly, taking both of her hands into his. "You _really _liked it?"

"I most certainly did."

"Then…does that mean that you wouldn't mind being my-"

"Girlfriend?" she asked, somewhat persistently.

"Well, I _was_ looking for a more proper way of putting but…essentially, yes, that's what I mean to say…"

"Of course, Jack!" she gushed. "I've wanted to be yours since I first laid eyes on you. How fortunate for me that you feel the same!"

She then unexpectedly planted both hands on either side of his skull and proceeded to press his mouth- such as it was- to her lips in an undeniably forceful kiss. This scene was also met with cheers and bellows, as well as a purposefully sexy sax riff from Cornelius.

When the lingering kiss finally ended, Jack had to take a moment to recover from the excitement. To everyone around, he looked to be reeling of the effects of a narcotic.

"Poor Jack," Victor said, coming over from the piano to help hold his skeleton friend up. "He really _is _bonkers over you, Miss O'Dwyer!"

"Don't I know it…" she snickered somewhat smugly. "By the way, who are you again?"

Victor let an arm free from Jack's side so to extend his hand to Tivona in greeting.

"Oh, I'm Victor VanDort, a friend of Jack's. It's a pleasure."

She nodded, accepting the offer of a handshake. "Let me guess…vampire?"

He laughed slightly. "Close. Half-vampire, hence why I can be out here in the sunlight. And what are you, a-"

"Sorceress," Tivona answered a bit more swiftly than seemed necessary. When she noticed that this caught her new acquaintance slightly off-guard, she giggled to break the tension. "Yes, I'm _definitely_ a sorceress. I'm actually cousin to Helga and Zelda. I'm also the new lead singer of their band."

"Oh, you can sing? Perhaps you'd be interested in a duet somet-"

Interrupting their small talk was Jack, who had just then recovered from his trance. He sprang from the support of Victor's arms and grabbed the mic he had discarded not a moment ago.

"Listen everyone!" he announced. "In celebration of this momentous event, I've decided to host a pre-Halloween, masquerade ball in two weeks! So dust off those old ballgowns and tuxedos, because this is going to be _quite _the shindig!"

Everyone exchanged bewildered glances, as they were all caught a bit off guard by the randomness of this declaration. Nevertheless, most of the Halloween Town citizens welcomed any opportunity to celebrate and drink copiously, even if they had to dress formally and wear masks while doing it. Thus, this announcement was also soon met with resounding approval from everyone in the vicinity.

"Come," Jack said directly to Tivona, tossing the mic away once more. "We have to get a ball gown made for you immediately!"

In response, she gasped with delighted disbelief. "_A ball gown_?"

Taking Jack's bony hand, she allowed him to lead her on to the gravel path. From here, the both of them headed towards town.

"Well, there goes our hour of practice…" Helga grumbled, finally leaving the balcony railing to head back inside. "She'll be hearing about this when she gets back!"

At the same time, Victor had begun closing up the piano and gathering the equipment –including the discarded microphone- that they had brought with them. While doing so, he tried to forget that Jack had promised profusely to help with the clean-up afterwards.

"Hey," Cornelius said, approaching Victor from behind. "Jack said he'd compensate us for our time and effort today."

Victor stood and eyed the saxophonist somewhat pleadingly. "Yes, yes, I know. But is there some way he could just pay you later? I don't have that much cash on me right now and I-"

Cornelius stepped closer to the young man, and was soon backed up by the remaining musicians. "Look, pretty boy, I didn't come here today to help serenade a member of 'Toil and Trouble' for free…"

Seeing that there was clearly not another option available to him, Victor reluctantly reached into his coat pocket and produced the amount Jack had promised them.

"Alrighty then!" Cornelius said, happily accepting the money. "We'll see ya at the ball, blood-breath!"

* * *

When Sally heard the thunderous rumbling of wheels going over cobblestones, she felt compelled to rise from her desk and investigate the matter. It had been a fairly uneventful day, after all, especially since she had been the only one present in the mansion for the entire afternoon. Where Jack had been she didn't know, and she tried not to let her unusual ignorance of his location bother her.

Having heaved open the heavy front doors for only the second time that day, she saw Victor and a few helpful citizens pushing a large piano down the walk to the front steps. They soon stopped, having reached the very bottom landing.

"I'm not sure how I'm going to get this monstrosity up there…" she heard Victor mutter aloud, while wiping sweat from his forehead.

The other two residents then politely excused themselves, clearly not interested in helping him figure out a method.

Sally then walked outside completely, allowing the door to slam behind her. The sound alerted Victor to her presence at the top of the steps, and his posture seemed to instantly stiffen upon first sight of her.

"Victor!" she called out. "What are you doing?"

He laughed somewhat nervously. "Oh, well…that takes a bit of explaining…"

"How do you plan on getting this thing back inside?" she asked, folding her arms over her chest.

He shrugged. "I don't rightly know."

She smirked slightly and adjusted her cardigan. "Well, you look tired. You could come inside and rest for a moment?"

"Uhm, well…yes, actually, that sounds quite nice."

Victor then ascended the stairs with some noticeable difficulty, no doubt from the fatigue that previously existed, and allowed her to hold open the door for him as he entered the front lobby. The inside of the mansion was somewhat dark and cool, and the juxtaposition between the inner-house and sunny outside was visibly relieving for him.

"Why don't we go sit in Jack's parlor?" Sally suggested. "You'll have to brave another flight of stairs, but it's much more comfortable in there."

Victor agreed to this, even if he would have been perfectly content with sitting in one of the chairs in the front lobby. This idea, however, was much better due to the fact that it would provide some alone time for the two of them in an especially remote area of the house. He had to admit it wasn't entirely proper, but this wasn't his former time period or location. Besides, he would require some privacy for the declaration he intended to make.

After a minute or two of bravely climbing the winding staircase to the upper floor and following Sally a ways down the dark hallway to the door, Victor was finally alone with her in the parlor. He hadn't ever been inside this particular room before, and so he took a moment to marvel at the gothic elegance of its decoration before having a seat on one of the ebony settees.

"You know…this room rather reminds me of my mother's parlor…she never allowed me in, of course, unless we had company…and hers was much less black."

Sally giggled slightly as she took a seat on one of the matching chairs.

"So, tell me," she began. "What _are _you doing with that piano?"

"Oh, yes, that…" Victor shifted a bit in his seat, already steeped in worried anticipation for what he would attempt momentarily. "Well, it was just for Jack's little show this afternoon, that's all. He's a bit busy, it seems, since the effort went over so well, so I ended up having to wheel the whole thing back myself…"

She turned her head to the side and cocked an eyebrow. "_Show_? He never mentioned anything to me about a show…"

Victor found this odd. It seemed only logical for Jack to have told Sally where he would be most of the day- if not because of their friendship, then because of her position as his personal assistant.

"Really? Well, it was just something of a gift to that Miss O'Dwyer on the other side of town. I agreed to accompany him in his serenade, you see. I have to say, he is _quite _taken with that young woman. I don't think I've ever seen someone so lovesick in my life!"

Victor, in his amusement at the thought, didn't notice Sally's shock. She remained silent for a moment, opening and closing her mouth as if she intended to say something but couldn't find the words.

"And, uhm…" she started with a cough. "Miss O'Dwyer…is she as taken with him?"

"Appears to be. After the song she kissed him and they agreed to be a _couple_. Now I think they're off buying her a ball gown of sorts…"

Sally inhaled sharply, and refocused her direct attention to the shaded window in front of her.

"Are you okay?" he felt compelled to ask.

"Why-uhm…why…" Words dropped from her mouth like bricks. "Why are they…buying a ball gown?"

Victor didn't answer right away, as he knew this was the moment in the conversation that would provide the segue to his intend topic of his discussion.

"Well, you see, that's has a rather odd explanation…to put it simply, Jack was in such a state of elation after Miss O'Dwyer agreed to be his, that he decided to host a Pre-Halloween Masquerade Ball in two weeks…"

Sally continued to visibly reel from the overload of information. She wasn't entirely sure what to be more upset about.

"A…_Pre-Halloween _Masquerade Ball…?" she repeated, now having support to her temples on her hands.

"Yes, that's right. And…well, you see, Miss Stitches, I had accompanied you up here with intent of asking a question-"

She suddenly stood from her chair at that moment, catching him off guard.

"I think I need some air…" she managed to mumble. "Please excuse me…"

Initially, Victor could only pause in stricken confusion, and he nearly allowed Sally to exit the room completely. Before she could do so, however, he regained his presence of mind, rose from the settee, strode quickly to catch her, and placed a firm but gentle hand on her forearm.

"Sally, please, I beg you to listen to me. There are things I _must _tell you that I've simply put off too long-"

She then placed two fingers over his mouth, instantly silencing him. This action caused her eyes to meet with his, and he noticed the unmistakable red, moist onset of tears. The mystery of what he must have said that caused this only perplexed him further, but he knew better at that point than to continue his effort.

"Victor," she sighed, her voice breaking slightly. "Whatever it is, I _simply can't _hear it right now. Do you understand?"

"Not entirely," he confessed with a whisper. "But I will respect your wishes…"

She then placed a chaste, brief kiss on his cheek.

"Thank you. Perhaps one day soon I'll have the heart to explain it. In the meantime, I have to be alone."

He simply nodded and used every force available to him to keep his disappointment from bubbling to the surface. After briefly touching her shoulder with his hand comfortingly, he took the liberty of exiting the parlor to provide her with a conveniently placed sanctuary.

Once the door was shut behind him, Sally returned to the chair she had just vacated and allowed her face to fall into the cradle of her palms. For twenty minutes, she sat in that black, musky room with only the bright rays of the late, fall sun to comfort her, and allowed all of the pain her feelings for Jack had caused thus far to spill out of her eyes.


	7. Chapter 5 Best Friends Forever

**A/N- **I sure hope you guys like new characters and getting better acquainted with the ones that already exist, because there's some more of it in this chapter as well (and in many more to come)! This time around, you'll be introduced to **Gloria Dobberstein, **wife of Herb (and, just to remind you, the large corpse woman from the movie) and their son **Ralph**. I hope you'll like the way her character turned out. Truthfully, it wasn't what I had intended, but I love it when a character you're crafting _shows _you who they are rather than letting you tell them. Pretty awesome, IMO.

I'm also gonna level with you guys and let you know my ending was sloppily done. Yes, I admit it. I blame it on so few reviews. =( No, I kid, I blame it on my ADD and poor writing style. Forgive, please?

**Disclaimer- **Burton's still.

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"I've only been a _real_ sorceress for about a year or so, you see, so my powers are perhaps not all that they _could_ be. I am hoping to get better with time and practice, of course, and with Helga's assistance, I see that as totally possible…"

Though it was a bit difficult for Tivona to improvise something of a persona for herself on the spot, she did enjoy the attention. For the entire half hour that she and Jack had been walking from the outskirts (the location of Helga and Zelda's house) to the inner-town –arm in arm, of course-, Jack had simply listened intently to whatever she desired to tell him. He would occasionally have to rouse her speech with personal questions, but otherwise, the entire conversation had been mostly one-sided. How nice it was, she thought, to finally have someone who would just listen endlessly and with undivided attention to every random thought that occurred to her. Furthermore, there was no evident expectation on Jack's part for her to probe him with personal questions in return, and for this she was exceedingly grateful. There was nothing she hated more than having to hear someone else gab excessively about their own trivial issues.

"And you're…Hawaiian, is that right?" Jack asked.

"Yes, but only on my mother's side. In fact, _my _form of sorcery stems from a specific strain of Hawaiian voodoo. It was not a commonly practiced art, as only a select few were gifted with the talents and many native Hawaiians have strived to keep this power secret from all outsiders, so even if I were to name the brand of magick-which I most definitely cannot do out of respect- you probably wouldn't recognize it. This is also another reason why I can't readily demonstrate my abilities. To do so would be to give away a revered secret, if that makes sense…"

"And how ironic that you, as a half-Irish woman, would be the next to inherit the ability!" he chuckled.

Tivona laughed as well, albeit a bit nervously. "Yeah…what are the odds, right?"

Jack then gasped upon catching sight of the house he had been leading her to. "Ah ha! Here's the place I've been looking for…but I didn't expect it to come up so soon. Strange how time gets away when you're having fun!"

"Oh, most definitely!" she agreed, forcing an unnecessary amount of enthusiasm.

A few steps later, the couple arrived in front the two-story, rundown, and very haunted looking shack, whose only clue to housing a business was the crudely painted, wooden lawn sign that read:

"_Gloria's Boutique- Tailored Dresses for Every Formal Occasion_"

Jack gallantly opened the gate of the jagged picket fence for her, and the two proceeded to ascend the gravel walk leading up the front door. It was he, of course, who went to the trouble of ringing the doorbell, which played the first few bars of Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D Minor.

"That's become a very popular doorbell sound lately," Jack mentioned to Tivona under his breath. "Personally, I think the classic 'woman screaming' suits the purpose just fine…"

The door opened after a short interval, and standing there greeting them was a small, fat zombie child who Tivona found to be an almost mirror-image of Pugsley Addams- only dead.

"King Jack!" the boy squealed, beginning to hop up and down.

"Good afternoon, Ralph," he greeted warmly, bending down to shake the boy's hand.

Ralph didn't return this gesture, for the mere reason that he had already turned around to call out behind him and couldn't take notice of it.

"Mama, mama, it's King Jack! Come quick, mama!"

"Ralph Dobberstein!" a rather deep, raspy woman's voice cried out from somewhere in the back of the house. "How many times have I told you to leave my customers alone? Get away from that door or it'll be the whip again for you!"

The boy 'eeped' in fear and swiftly scampered outside, having to weave through Jack and Tivona's legs to do so. In his stead, shortly thereafter, was a rather obese zombie woman with cat's eye glasses and a soiled mumu, the floral pattern of which was still somewhat legible. A cigarette dangled carelessly from the corner of her mouth as she lumbered down the hallway to meet the King and his lady friend at the threshold.

"So sorry about that," she coughed. "My son can sure be a lil' pudgy twit sometimes. Anyway, come on in, the both of you."

After ushering them into the foyer, she stuck her head out the door to yell, "And stay out there, ya hear me?" before slamming the door shut and bolting the lock.

Jack then felt compelled to clear his throat before starting his next sentence.

"Tivona, I'd like for you to meet Gloria Dobberstein, Halloween Town's finest dress-maker. Mrs. Dobberstein, this is Miss Tivona O'Dwyer."

Gloria gradually turned herself around to face Tivona. She momentarily removed the cigarette from her mouth and eyed the human woman suspiciously.

"So, you're the little vixen that's been takin' this place by storm, are ya? Hear you're singin' now for Herb's band."

"Yes, that's right," Tivona answered, striving to seem cordial and not somewhere between disgusted and afraid. "And you must be his wife."

"Yep." Gloria answered, her surveying stare soon turning into something of a glare. "His _wife. _So, uh, just make sure you keep your skinny little hands off him, yeah?"

Tivona gulped. "Yes, ma'm."

Jack then laughed anxiously and draped an arm around Tivona's shoulders, hopeful that this would relieve Gloria's jealous skepticism.

"Mrs. Dobberstein, we simply came today in the hopes of fitting Miss O'Dwyer for a ball gown. You see, I decided this afternoon that the Town should hold a Pre-Halloween Masquerade Ball in two weeks. I intend to accompany Miss O'Dwyer myself, and so I have graciously offered to provide a gown for her. Is this something you could do for us?"

"Well, as the _finest dressmaker in Halloween Town_, I sure hope so."

Gloria then motioned with a stubby arm for them to follow her through the foyer to a room at the end of the hall that was currently behind a closed door. She produced a ring of keys from somewhere on her person that Tivona couldn't see the location of -nor did she want to- and scrambled for a moment with the lock. After a momentary struggle the door popped open, and Gloria proceeded to hobble inside, motioning for the two to accompany her.

Due to the condition of the house that Tivona had seen thus far, she didn't expect too much aesthetically from this particular room. For this reason, her involuntary gasp when she first stepped in seemed a bit justified, if only to her.

The entire space was filled with dress stands decked out in the most elegant, gothic frocks she had ever laid eyes on. From Victorian to more modern styles, all of them were of either a dark, monochromatic color scheme, or a more shocking red or juxtaposing white. They were all so expertly sewn together and from very expensive or rare fabrics. Accompanying all of these breathtakingly gorgeous dresses were certain specific accessories, such as hats and handbags, and large mirrors placed strategically around the room.

"Can I cook, or can't I?" Gloria commented finally, breaking Tivona from her materialistic reverie.

She then shuffled over to a large arm chair in a part of the room that wasn't occupied by a dress stand or a mirror. She motioned subtly for the couple to join her in sitting, and Jack accepted the offer by taking a seat on a small loveseat across from her. Tivona, on the other hand, was too preoccupied to even see that Gloria had offered. Like a greedy child in a candy store, she wandered over to the army of dress stands and floated between each one, absentmindedly feeling the fabric beneath her fingers and muttering in wonder under her breath.

"She seems to have a great appreciation for your work," Jack pointed out with a grin.

Gloria snorted. "She certainly does…"

"Well, I, personally, have no expectations for this dress. Just let her describe to you what she wants and I'll pay for it, no questions asked."

"Do have any budget limitations, sir?" she asked bluntly. "I imagine her personal 'description' will be quite costly…"

"No, no, no," Jack assured, waving his hands to reinforce the point. "Whatever she wants, she can have."

"Very well then, sir," Gloria sighed, experiencing some difficulty as she rose from her chair. "I'll just take her measurements then and get her _description_. Should I tell her to meet you back at your house when we're done?"

"Not necessary, Mrs. Dobberstein. I'll be back in to collect her."

Jack then walked across the room to Tivona and had to tap her on the shoulder to take her attention away from the gowns. She jumped slightly and turned around to reveal an expression that suggested a child caught with her hand in the cookie jar before dinner.

"Tivona, my dear," Jack cooed sweetly, taking her hands into his own. "I'm going to leave with you with Mrs. Dobberstein for the time being. I've instructed her to make a gown completely to your specifications and measurements. This is the first of many gifts I plan to shower on you in the future, so don't be afraid to go _all out_, okay?"

Tivona's victorious grin returned, though her attempt to mask it with a rather facetious sense of gratitude proved successful in Jack's case.

"Oh, Jack, that's so sweet of you! I will design a gown so gorgeous, your jaw will fall off of its hinges!"

She then kissed his cheek bone before he turned and left the room with a final wave.

It was then that Tivona came upon the terrible realization that she was now alone in a somewhat vulnerable position, with a very suspicious, vastly-larger zombie woman. Her want of a ballgown was very nearly outweighed by her fear of what might transpire in this situation, and so she began eying the area for a way to escape.

"Alright then, dollface," Gloria croaked mischievously, tapping some ashes off the end of her cigarette. "Turn around and stand like a scarecrow."

"I-I beg your pardon?"

Gloria then demonstrated the position as much as her body size would allow. "Like a scarecrow, you know- arms up and out to the side, legs together?"

"Oh," Tivona exhaled in relief. "I see."

This she did, though not without much hesitation, and was soon thankful of the mirror that stood in front of her. In the reflection, she could see Gloria scrounging around for and eventually finding a tape measure. She then lumbered over to Tivona with that and a clipboard.

"Well, hurry up and describe the dress to me, sweetie," Gloria urged while extended the tape measure underneath Tivona's right arm. "I gotta another appointment in about 30 minutes."

She made an effort to relax herself for this, as she couldn't possibly design a ball gown while focusing on the possibility that her tailor might just strangle her with the measure.

* * *

Jack's stroll back home was undoubtedly one of the cheeriest he'd ever had.

There was an unmistakable bounce to his step as he made his way through the town square and greeted every citizen he saw warmly with a grin and wave.

"Good afternoon, Miss Ursula!" he said to the town's sea-creature woman as she came up for air in the town's fountain. "Wonderful to see you again, Mr. Hyde!" he smiled at the large, stoic man with the miniatures of himself hiding in his hat. "Lookin' good, Doctor! You as well, Mrs. Finkelstein!"

The doctor and his self-made wife, Ruby, were sitting outside at The Black Cat Café when Jack caught sight of them. Despite Dr. Finkelstein's fondness for the King, he still responded to the address with an apathetic grumble. Ruby, on the other hand, replied sweetly with a "Thank you kindly, your majesty!"

"Mayor!" Jack acknowledged enthusiastically with a play-salute as he saw the small man approaching him.

"Jaaaack!" the Mayor cried, proceeding to run as fast as small legs could carry him. "Where in the world have you been? We were supposed to review these plans weeks ago! It's already October, Jack!"

Jack laughed and had to bend slightly to place a reassuring hand on the smaller man's back.

"Mayor, please, you mustn't get so overworked about these frivolous details. There is still _plenty _of time to review those plans. Besides, we have the basic idea already established, and isn't that more than half of the battle?"

The Mayor seemed more than a little astonished.

"But, Jack…you normally _love _going over the plans…you always have specific ideas that we-"

"Yes, yes, I know," he cut in. "But it so happens that I now _love _something else a lot more. You see, when you fall in love, Mr. Mayor, everything else seems to fall by the wayside. Anyway, I'm sure this Halloween will be perfectly fine and enjoyable _just _the way we have it now. Why don't you go over it for me one more time and if you see any discrepancies, we'll just iron them out before hand. Will that work?"

Looking worried and dejected, the Mayor eventually nodded his head.

"Excellent!" Jack exclaimed. "Oh, by the way, I've decided to hold a _Pre-Halloween Masquerade Ball _in two weeks, so let's just focus a bit more on those plans for awhile. Could you also make an announcement for me to the rest of the town? I fear I'll just be too preoccupied to do it myself."

"A WHAT?" The Mayor cried, involuntarily jumping a bit from the shock of this information. "Your majesty, there's simply no time for-"

"Oh don't be silly, Mayor, there's plenty of time. We'll have lunch and talk it over more tomorrow, how does that sound?"

Jack then interpreted the Mayor's baffled silence to mean that he had agreed to this idea, and so with another wave, the skeleton King continued on his way home. Unbeknownst to him, however, since he had already turned his back, the Mayor proceeded to faint.

Eventually, Jack arrived back on the familiar front staircase leading to his front door (the same one, he happened to recall at that moment, that he had widened significantly a few months ago so that someone other than himself could gain access to his house) and was suddenly reminded of who would be awaiting him immediately when he stepped inside.

All of the dreamy giddiness that had filled his mind since the kiss from Tivona evaporated instantly, and was soon replaced by a sense of dread and remorse. He knew the moment he walked in he'd see Sally sitting at her desk, typing frantically. She'd no doubt look up for a moment to see who it was, and immediately refocus her attention on her work in an effort to pretend he wasn't there.

The thought of it made him oddly ache and pine for the time -not long ago at all- when Sally would respond to his sudden presence with a glowing smile, as if she'd been hiding it all day just for him. He realized then how much he missed the way she'd laugh at his jokes, how attentive and patiently she'd listen as he'd pour his heart out to her, saying things he would never dare repeat to anyone else. This yearning for their friendship to be what it once was erupted in him suddenly, and in the form of a raw pain, as though he'd been feeling it subconsciously all day and hadn't fully realized it until now.

For all of these reasons, he decided then that he would try his best to make amends with her the moment he stepped into the lobby. He had been especially careless lately, he knew, and he simply refused to lose his dearest friend on account of something so preventable.

He then took a deep breath and proceeded to push open the two heavy front doors.

Contrary to his expectations, however, Sally was not awaiting him at the front desk. Nor did she appear to be anywhere in the immediate vicinity. Jack found this more than a bit worrisome, and so he began to call out her name, hopeful that she hadn't simply resigned.

He called out her name two times more and made to enter the back study to see if she had slipped off in there for whatever reason, when he finally caught sight of her descending the right staircase.

She appeared to be folding up a small handkerchief to place in her sweater pocket. He could also see, even from where he stood, that her eyes were red and swollen. She seemed to be sniffing excessively as well, and Jack's best guess was that she had to be sick.

"Sally…" Jack said softly, not entirely certain what his intention was in doing so. It did seem to successfully get her attention, and for that, he was grateful. It had been a while since she had looked at him directly with no sense of aggravation.

"Oh, Jack…I was just…uhm…"

It soon became clear that he'd have to offer an explanation for her. Instead, he decided to divert the subject entirely, not keen on making her feel guilty for being on the forbidden second story.

"Your eyes look red…are you feeling well?"

She soon reached the bottom landing and started to make her way back to her desk, her head down and eyes diverted. Jack was uncertain if she ever planned to answer his question, and so instead of letting her reach the intended destination, he placed a gentle hand on her shoulder as soon as she was within arm's reach. This made her stop completely and gradually look up at him. At this proximity, it became blatantly apparent to him that Sally's eyes were not burned from sickness, but from weeping.

He then had the sensation of a heart sinking in his chest, as he intuitively knew right away that her tears had been caused by something he'd done.

"Why, you've been crying…" he pointed out, slightly turning her to face him. "Sally, please…tell me why…"

She hesitated for a moment, once more looking away from him.

"Sally," he whispered sharply with more urgency, this time seizing both of her shoulders. "I'm sorry…for all that I've done…I'm sorry…"

She was now purposefully refusing to look him, almost straining to keep her eyes from meeting his. For this reason, he felt compelled to place a hand under her chin and tilt her head to face him. This somewhat forward gesture did succeed to win a more permanent attention from her.

"Please listen to me…I _know _I've been terrible, lately, especially to you. I realize that. You have every right to ignore me. I've been preoccupied and selfish…but believe me when I tell you that I miss your friendship...more importantly, I miss _you._"

He then dropped the hand on her chin and returned it on her shoulder.

"I miss talking to you," he continued. "I miss laughing with you…I miss your smile greeting me when I walk in…do you see me now, Sally? We've been in this squabble less than a week and I'm already a complete wreck. Do you see how much I need you?"

A tense moment of silence passed between them wherein Jack began to worry that this particular effort wasn't going to go over well. Eventually, Sally broke this with a simple response to his question.

"Yes, I do, Jack."

He smiled slightly, encouraged by her reply. She returned it.

"If I'm completely honest, I feel you've become a bit more compulsive than usual lately. A _Pre-Halloween Masquerade Ball, _Jack?"

He looked a bit sheepish, and knew deep down that if anyone else had challenged him about the event in this manner, he would have either laughed it off or scoffed. Only Sally Stitches could evoke this sort of self-questioning within him.

"Well…" he chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of his skull. "I just thought it'd be something fun…you know, something to whet our appetites before the actual Halloween ceremonies…we hardly do anything fun around here outside of Halloween, you know…we could even invite some of the other Holiday citizens! It _could _be quite a marvelous thing…"

She crossed her arms and grinned at him skeptically. "You do realize that those of us who will be responsible for _helping _you aren't going to be too happy about this? Especially considering how close we are to Halloween, how much preparation it's going to take-"

"I know, I know," he interjected, rubbing his temples. "I'll do as much of the grunt work as possible, I promise."

Sally then broke off from his hold and began a saunter to the couch that sat next to the waiting-room chairs.

"Jack…" she began tentatively as she took a seat. "Why do I get the feeling this has something to do with Miss O'Dwyer?"

He slowly turned around to look at her, striving to hide his guilt.

"Miss O'Dwyer? Wh-what would make you think-"

"Victor told me about this afternoon," she explained.

He then came to take a seat next to her, and surveyed her curiously as he asked his next, simple question, wanting to see her exact reaction. "And?"

"And I'm happy for you. Victor reported that you were quite excited when she admitted the feelings you've been harboring for her were mutual."

"Yes, I was." He nodded. "But I seem to find it imperative to know what you _think_…of the situation…of Tivona…"

Sally inhaled a bit, shifting the hem of dress uncomfortably and wiggling in her seat, hoping that achieving a better sitting position might make the next statement a bit easier to deliver. She also took a moment to pause and stare contemplatively at the floor, as if trying to hastily organize her thoughts.

"Well," she began with a reluctant exhale. "I can't say very much about Tivona, as I've never so much as spoken to her...I _can _say that she is very beautiful…and she _appears _to be quite

charming and sweet…"

"She is…" Jack confirmed, momentarily slipping back into his dreamy haze from before.

"I can also say that your sudden compulsiveness arrived around the same time she did…am I completely wrong to think there's a correlation?"

"No, perhaps not…" he admitted grudgingly. "But I just can't help myself, Sally…I _love _her…"

She paused a moment to survey him with a questioning, raised eyebrow. Jack didn't see this, as he had been focused squarely on his feet –or the floor- while trying to shift through a plethora of thoughts and emotions.

"I hope you won't take this the wrong way…but can you really love someone you've known less than a week?"

"Sally, I realize that my passionate nature can seem a bit nonsensical to you at times," he answered, rising from the couch to pace slightly in front of it. "But I _do _love her. For whatever crazy, illogical reason, I _love _her. I want to be everything for her, to fulfill her every whim, I want-"

"I understand." She quipped suddenly.

Sally then followed Jack in rising from the couch and with folded arms, she drifted closer to him. His speech seemed to have brought back the same, almost-unpreventable compulsion for tears as before, but her determination to not make them apparent was, for the most part, successful.

"To be perfectly truthful, Jack…" she continued, nonchalantly wiping the corner of one eye. "I've been worried that this new romance of yours might cause our friendship to fall by the wayside. You know I have valid reasons for thinking this might be a possibility…"

Stunned, the skeleton turned to fully face his friend. Noticing that her eyes had begun to moisten once more, he whipped a handkerchief out of his pocket and took the liberty of dabbing them away himself.

"Sally," he sighed, placing hands on her forearms once more. "Of _everyone _I know, you are my closest and most trusted friend. To lose you would mean to lose part of myself. Trust me when I say that no one will ever replace you. No one can."

He then pulled her into a close, snug embrace that she fully reciprocated as soon as she could overcome the shock.

The two of them stood like this for a time in one another's arms, and Sally wished that the intimacy of the moment wouldn't have been ruined if she were to pull back and reveal her feelings. Even contemplating the realistic outcome of doing this seemed to take away from her elation at simply being in this position with him.

Instead of voicing any of the concerns or desires that buzzed through their respective minds, the two friends simply stood, silent and loving, holding one another as though they might never let go.

Sally came to realize, in the course of that all-too-brief interval, that she would eventually have to accept the fact that this was as close as she would ever be to her beloved. Her miniscule hope that he might one day share the same feelings as she would need to be demolished completely, and any romantic love she harbored would have to be securely stored away under lock and key. To keep that futile hope would no doubt mean to lose him entirely. He had fallen in love with someone else, someone who was as farthest removed from who she was as possible. Clearly, Jack did not desire to love someone like Sally romantically. That was just a fact of the situation.

She knew it would take time, effort, and a great deal of persistence to remain his closest friend under the circumstances, but she was obstinate on staying the course. The truth of it was, _he _was her closest friend as well. Removing him from her life was unthinkable, even if she didn't fully understand why.

What was most important, she reminded herself, was that Jack was happy, and as long as she kept that in mind over her selfish desires, she imagined that the effort to remain involved in his life would be significantly easier.

If Jack was content, she could be too.


	8. Chapter 6 La Belle Dame Approacheth

**A/N- **Before I say anything else, I want to thank "X" profusely for all of the reviews. It really made my night to get all of your feedback in one hit. I also liked how specific (and hilarious, might I add) your comments were.

I do want to point out –and it was your comments that reminded me I should probably make this more apparent- that a lot of the arbitrary, seemingly random details that crop up in here from time-to-time are _all _things I've seen done in various Jack/OC stories (not to mention Mary Sue pieces in general). Random Polynesian heritage for a white girl? You betcha. Sporadic masquerade ball plans from Jack to celebrate his new relationship? But of course! Assigning the background characters strange, vaguely-Jewish names? Duh. (Actually, I really like that one. Of course, in most of the original stories these characters were about as dimensional as cardboard cut-outs, and I'm trying to do them less of a disservice here) Of course, I've already mentioned the Victor thing, which I also decided was actually pretty cool. So I do apologize if some of these seem really out-of-the-blue, but if you remind yourself that things like this _have _been done before in a serious context, it kinda makes it funny. I hope…

Also, YES, I KNOW, what the hell have I done with Zero? You know what, I'll be honest. I just keep forgetting to incorporate him. Plain and simple. I have some really delicious plans for him now, however, so I look forward to doing that. But I really don't want to make him the ever-present, somewhat useless animal-sidekick. Not that he ever was, mind you, but it would be easy to cross that line with him, I think. So just like any of the other characters, he'll appear when he's got something specific to add to the situation at hand.

Lastly, I'm not entirely sure how to take your comment about purple prose…subtle criticism or compliment? :/

**Disclaimer- **Burton's, mostly.

* * *

Jack Skellington's kitchen was in very rare form that afternoon, as it was occupied by not one, but two women.

Sally was hard at work with a whisk and a bowl while her mummy roommate, Ziggy Neferet, sat on the island counter behind her. She dangled her bandaged legs over the side, occasionally hitting the wood of the cabinets underneath, while absentmindedly twirling the end of one of her blonde pigtails around her pointer finger.

"When can I have some?" she whined, popping her gum.

Sally sighed as she paced to the other side of the kitchen and peeked in the oven.

"In a _minute._ Don't you need to get back to work, anyway?"

"Nah," she smacked. "I have an hour for lunch break."

"Alright, then I'll try to hurry up…"

Sally returned to the bowl, and began peppering it with something from a shaker. "But you really need to be out of here before Jack comes in…"

Ziggy exhaled loudly and turned to fully lay on her back on the surface of the counter. Her appendages continued to hang haphazardly, threatening to hit Sally as she raced around the kitchen.

"I can't _believe _you're cooking lunch for his Masquerade Ball meeting after all he's put you through…"

"We're friends, Ziggy," she replied, matter-of-factly. "This is what friends -and paid employees- do for their friends…and bosses. Anyway, I've come to accept that Jack is…interested in someone else. It's…fine. I'm okay with it."

Ziggy slowly turned onto her stomach to watch Sally take what looked like a delicious, perfectly browned, roast brain out of the oven. "What's so great about this Tivona chick, anyway? Guys at work are always talkin' about how _gorgeous _she is…"

"Have you ever seen her, Zig?" Sally asked with a smirk, brushing a thick red sauce over the top of the brain. "I have a theory that she might be a succubus."

"Well, whatever, Sal. Smart and funny gals like you and me are a much better catch. Those doofuses will realize that sooner or later."

"If you say so, Zig. I still say you're being a bit too optimistic…"

"Good afternoon, Miss Neferet!"

The sudden, booming presence of Jack's voice in the kitchen startled both of them. Sally gasped sharply and dropped her small container of red sauce, causing it to shatter and splat on the marble floor. Ziggy screamed somewhat loudly and made an attempt to jump off the counter, which ended up turning into a quite humorous, dramatic tumble off the side.

"Oh my gosh!" Jack exclaimed, quickly rushing to the mummy's side and proceeding to gently help her up. "Are you alright, Miss Neferet?"

"Yes, sir…I'm pretty sure, anyway…"

"Jack, I'm so sorry," Sally blurted out immediately. "I know I'm supposed to have friends over during work hours, but it was just Ziggy's lunch break-"

"Oh, don't be ridiculous, Sally," Jack laughed casually. "Ziggy is more than welcome here. Would you like to stay for lunch, by the way, Miss Neferet? I fear it will be quite dull, but-"

Ziggy then interrupted with a nervous chuckle and a rush to gather the covered plate Sally had just finished making for her with the already prepared food.

"Oh, that's very kind of you, sir, but I've gotta get back to work. I'll see you both later!"

With a quick kiss on Sally's cheek and a subsequent side-hug, Ziggy soon zipped out of the kitchen and could be heard running in her stilettos through the hall to the front door.

The skeleton and the ragdoll were soon left alone to exchange amused glances and endure a brief, but somewhat tense silence. Sally was soon relieved to remember that she had made quite a mess not but a handful of seconds ago. Having to go through the motions of cleaning up the spill would no doubt break the awkward lull.

"So how did your date with Miss O'Dwyer go last night?" she asked nonchalantly while searching for a towel.

Jack sighed as he leaned up against the counter and the same silly grin that usually came about when Tivona was brought up in conversation reappeared.

"Better than the last, if you can believe it. I took her out dancing…and she's fantastic. I really can't wait to see what she can do at the ball…"

Sally was soon on her hands and knees, collecting the shards of glass and mopping up the pool of sauce. "That's wonderful, Jack. I'm glad to hear it. Will she be at the meeting, by the way?"

There was a pause and she could hear Jack shifting uncomfortably, as if contemplating a difficult topic.

"Not at the meeting, no…" he answered tentatively. "But she will be arriving later today…"

"Oh?"

"Well, you see…last night I-…I asked if she'd like to move in with me…"

Her head snapped up immediately to look him dead in the eye, as if to confirm his seriousness. His guilty, abashed expression seemed to suggest this was, in fact, the case.

"_Move in with you?_" she repeated incredulously. "Jack…you've known her less than a _week…_"

"I _know _that, Sally, but I-"

"Love her. Yes, so you've said. _Repeatedly._"

She then stood, balling up the soiled towel and proceeding to take it over to the sink. "Well, Jack," she began, turning on a flood of lukewarm water that she let flow over the rag. "It's your relationship and your business. You know I am in no place to judge…but I most likely will, anyway."

He sighed and smiled affectionately at her as she continued to clean the towel, noticing how the glow of the sun filtering through the window above the sink highlighted the lovely bluish hue of her stitched skin.

"Yes, I know..."

* * *

Helga sat crossed legged and furious on the bed Tivona had been sleeping in for the past few days. Tivona, meanwhile, was inspecting the room thoroughly to make sure she wouldn't be leaving anything behind.

"For goodnesssakes, you came here with _one _bag." Helga pointed out, impatient. "Surely the contents haven't been strewn this far around the guestroom in the time you've been here…"

Tivona continued to search the area as though she were a detective on a homicide scene. "Well, one can never be too certain…"

Helga simply scoffed, quite loudly, and readjusted her tightly-folded arms. Her method of protest -which took the form of these blatant displays of frustration- had been in effect since Tivona announced the night before that Jack had invited her to take up residence with him. Helga _knew _the whole thing was preposterously foolish, that she had no doubt manipulated Jack into his offer, and that once she left them, her concern with Toil and Trouble would definitely fall by the wayside. It was no secret that Tivona was the band's anchor in keeping the highest authoritarian favor. Without her, The Bones Brothers, no matter how washed-up and unpopular they might have been with the general public, would forever have precedence over them at large functions and events.

Besides that, there was still the matter of the girl's mortality. How long, Helga would sometimes wonder, can one keep up a charade such as this? Worse still, Tivona had very concrete plans of marrying Jack, and when that happened, the matter of keeping the truth hidden would become that much more impossible. All of these things she had mentioned to her before, but the mortal woman would constantly shoot Helga down and assure her that everything would 'be okay'. Always the pessimist, Helga had already decided she'd plead ignorant when Tivona's inevitable ousting occurred. It wasn't the best or most effective defense, but she supposed she only had herself to blame for even being involved with this mess.

"Well, that looks like everything!" Tivona announced finally, slinging her duffel bag over her shoulder.

She then slowly approached Helga, her arms starting to open dangerously like the mouth of a crocodile.

"Oh no, you don't," Helga warned, backing up on the mattress. "You're not touching me with those traitorous hands of yours!"

Tivona paused and stared at the witch, bewildered. "Traitorous? Where in the world did you get _that_ adjective from?"

"From what I _know _about you, O'Dwyer," she hissed. "You're going to leave here and start living your cushy life and then what will happen to the band? You'll forget about us."

Her subsequent fake, dramatic laugh wasn't fooling Helga.

"How could I forget about you guys? Don't worry, I'll _always _be your lead singer."

"Praise be," the witch muttered sarcastically, proceeding to jump off the bed and exit the bedroom. Tivona followed close behind her.

"Helga, please, don't be like this," she pleaded as she followed her down the front stairs to the first floor. "If you simply _can't _be happy for me, then be happy for yourselves! You know as well as I do that this will mean _great _things for Toil and Trouble's future!"

"_That, _remains to be seen..."

Helga then snapped off her key ring she kept attached to her belt and unlocked the front door, in the hopes that Tivona might get the rather blatant hint to hurry up and leave.

"Oh, wait," she said, slightly touching Helga's hand. "I need to get a jar or two of _Ensnare _first."

It was in that moment that Helga saw the way to the woman's insured commitment. The realization of this caused her face to contort in a wickedly conniving grin, and she tried not to dwell on the question of why she hadn't thought of this sooner.

"Zelda!" Helga called out sweetly. "Be a dear and fetch two jars of _Ensnare _for Miss O'Dwyer, won't you?"

Zelda's squeaky voice could be heard answering with something inaudible and she was soon bouncing to meet them at the front door with two of the familiar jars, both of which were about as big as her head.

Helga grabbed both and held them in front of Tivona, invitingly. She, in turn, reached down to accept the perceived gift, when the eldest witch yanked them back to herself.

"I'm afraid that these pills aren't going to be free…" Helga's devious smile had now reached an unsettling width.

Tivona sighed and began searching in her purse with the hand that wasn't clutching her duffel. "I don't suppose Halloween folks accept US cash…"

"It's not anything material that I'm after. Here's my offer: you will only get these pills when you promise to stay involved with and supportive of the band."

"Of course," she answered, rolling her eyes. "I've already promised you that, anyway."

Helga then unscrewed the cap of the jar and poured a little less than a handful of the black-tinted pills into her palm. She then had to step up on her tip-toes to give the taller woman the allotted amount.

"That will last you until our next practice session, at which time, you'll of course have to come back to get more."

Having gotten a good look at her small prescription, Tivona's jaw dropped open and her now normal-brown eyes grew wide. Something that sounded like the hybrid of a squawk and gasp managed to escape her gaping mouth.

"_That _was on account of the singing…" she explained, a bit embarrassed by the unintentional noise. "_Nevertheless, _you can't bait me like this! Invest a bit more faith in your lead singer, won't you? I mean…I sorta thought we were _friends, _you guys…"

Helga chuckled and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Please, darling, we've known you less than a week. Besides, I was sure you of all people would understand the importance of watching out for number one- you know, considering your former profession…"

Tivona then stuffed the pills into her handbag and defiantly readjusted her duffel with a loud huff.

"_Well…_If that's how we're going to play this, Helga…then so be it. I will see you ladies next week. _Good day." _

As soon as she had shoved a pair of sunglasses over her eyes, she hastily exited the house with a loud, reverberating slam of the front door.

'_The nerve of those hags…_' she thought to herself as she precariously descended the front steps in yet another set of heels. '_After all I've done for them, this is how they thank me?'_

She had to admit, however, that Helga's concerns were not entirely without merit. Tivona had no real intention of staying with the band or wasting much time on maintaining their fame once she inevitably became Queen. Of what use would that be to her, anyway?

She reasoned that the only way she could rid herself of this issue was to find out how to make _Ensnare _herself. Simply stealing the remaining supply in the basement would not only prove ineffective but detrimental as well, as the sisters would inevitably figure out what she had done and turn her into a toad or something similar.

She also imagined that making a magickal drug couldn't have been that different from those she made back in the living world. The real trick, of course, would be finding the recipe in the sisters' house and copying it down.

'_It shouldn't be too difficult for someone as clever as I am…_' she thought proudly.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the gradual realization that this walk into town would be an especially painful one, unless she could part with her heels for a while. Even then, the trek would still no doubt ruin the hairstyle and makeup she had spent two hours on this morning. What she needed at this moment became unwaveringly clear to her- transportation.

In keeping with the theme of her stay in this town- that is, that almost everything will work out conveniently in her favor- the sound of wheels rolling over gravel could soon be heard approaching from a close distance. It was eventually accompanied by the shape of a skeleton-horse drawn wagon coming up over a hill, and finally, by the realization that the driver of said wagon was none other than Victor VanDort, the half-vampire friend of Jack's.

Taking it for granted that a friend of Jack's was automatically a friend of hers', Tivona began jumping up and down and waving her arms to get his attention.

"Hey, Victor! Yoo hoo! Over here!"

He upped the pace of the skeleton-horses to a swift trot, and then slowed them once more when he could run the wagon up alongside her. Though he was smiling pleasantly, Tivona couldn't help but notice the very puzzled and fixated way he stared at her, not unlike one might to someone who has spinach wedged between their teeth.

"Good afternoon, Miss O'Dwyer…" he greeted with a nod.

"Oh, Victor, am I ever glad to see you and your wagon!"

Not wasting any time, Tivona proceeded to climb up into the passenger's seat and toss her duffel bag haphazardly into the back. Clanks of glass could be heard when the bag finally landed, and Victor noticeably winced at this. Tivona gasped and turned to see if her luggage had broken anything, but a large brown tarp covering the cargo made this impossible to see for certain.

"I was, uhm…just on my delivery route into town," he coughed. "I don't suppose you would need a ride?"

She smiled widely and patted his shoulder. "Oh, Victor, you are _such _a gentleman. I would very much appreciate it if you'd drop me off at Jack's estate."

"Oh, well, that's not exactly on my route-"

"_Oh thank you, _Victor. You're too kind."

She then adjusted the frilly girth of her black peplum dress, before crossing her lace-panty-hosed legs and settling in comfortably to the wooden seat. He scoffed as softly as he could manage and gave the reigns a tug, urging the horses to continue forward on the path.

"So, then," she began, breaking the brief interval of silence. "What have you been up to this afternoon?"

"My delivery route," he replied. "For the blood bank."

She turned slightly to get a second glance at the covered cargo. Remembering the clanking her duffel bag's landing had caused, she began to feel a bit perturbed.

"Oh…then I suppose those are glasses of blood you have back there?"

"Of course!" he replied, a bit incredulous. "Vampires have to eat, after all. It can be so difficult to find the time to hunt these days, so the local clans are very grateful we keep up this business."

"Yes, I can imagine…" she gulped, shifting a bit in her seat and hoping that _Twilight_'s lore about Vampires being able to sniff human blood was inaccurate.

Eager to change the subject, she decided to then ask him a more personal question. "_So Victor, _you and I haven't really gotten a chance to talk. Do you mind if I ask how long you've known Jack?"

Victor seemed to have no difficulty in recalling this history, as his reply was swift and uninterrupted. "Of course not. I've known him for as long as I've been here. It was after my _accident_ that I found Jack, the first individual that understood what had happened to me. You see, due to my condition, I had been ostracized from society. But because I am that sort of creature which is neither dead nor living, I was caught between the world of the afterlife and the mortal existence, both of which couldn't accept me. But, Jack…he knew where I belonged. He knew also what had happened to my older brothers…"

"What happened to them?" Tivona asked, genuinely interested.

"The same as what had happened to me- vampires, the lot. Mother had been telling me my whole life that all three had fallen ill and died from various diseases… and I suppose I can't really blame her. How does one explain Vampirism to child when one hardly understands it themselves?"

They were silent again for a moment as the wagon rode over some particularly large pebbles and jostled the cargo. Victor, so enraptured in his past, didn't seem to notice.

"But the rest is history, really," he continued. "I got to meet my older brothers and the four of us have been running a very successful business ever since. It has taken time, but I've come to realize how content I am here."

"So am I to understand," Tivona spoke up. "That Halloween Town is sort of like a port for the undead?"

He laughed slightly at the rather crude interpretation. "Not exactly. I think you're confusing it with a state of limbo. Truthfully, I don't quite understand the afterlife myself, but it seems to me that one might be given a choice."

"A _choice_?"

"Well, more or less. You see, in the case of all the residents here, they are some matter of being that classifies them as neither dead nor alive- like a vampire, for instance. All of us could ascend to the living world if we so choose, but it's not as if we're going to be welcomed with open arms. Therefore, we are given the option to live here as the guardians of a holiday that celebrates this _gray _area- the state of being between two worlds. I'm not very educated on any other alternatives, but I don't doubt they exist."

Tivona took a moment to absorb this information. A part of her wished she could ask Victor what force could have brought and allowed her to remain here. _Could she have been somewhere between life and death? _

This didn't seem the likeliest of scenarios, particularly because she didn't remember anything happening to her that last night in New York. As far as she knew, she had escaped successfully from the clutches of her rival and accidentally stumbled upon this town while hiding out in the park. By all rights, she should still be securely categorized as 'living'. But was it all possible, she wondered, that something _had_ happened to her that she couldn't recall? Was it at all like the movies, where the person's body is severely injured, but the soul continues onward? Could her body have been dying in some Midtown hospital while she, her spirit, gallivanted about in her holiday world? Was she doomed to disappear or evaporate once her body died?

"Miss O'Dwyer?"

The sound of Victor's timid and vaguely-concerned-sounding voice ripped her from her panicked thought process.

She looked up at him and attempted a smile. "Oh, yes, Victor, I'm sorry. My mind seemed to have reeled away for a moment…"

"I do hope you won't take offense to this…" he began tentatively, clearing his throat once. "But you look…_different _today. Are you feeling well?"

She was quick to whip out her trusty compact mirror and get a good look at herself. Upon doing so, she immediately realized she had forgotten to take a pill.

"Oh no, I'm _fine_!" she assured. "Now, do tell about this…accident."

When he then turned away from her to look pensively into the horizon, she took advantage of the opportunity and discreetly popped one of the _Ensnare _pills into her mouth.

"I hope you'll forgive my reticence, Miss O'Dwyer, but I don't really like to talk about it. Doing so only recalls very unpleasant memories and, if I may be frank, I don't believe I know you well enough."

She turned to him with an understanding grin and tried to make the swallowing of her pill unnoticeable.

"Of course, Victor," she said, putting a hand on his shoulder. "I was only trying to make conversation. However, I can't lie and say that my curiosity hasn't been slightly peaked. Perhaps, one day, you'll consider me a close enough friend to tell me more?"

He nodded slowly, first a bit unwilling, but then with some genuine consideration towards the idea.

"Yes, perhaps."

It wasn't long after this final, lingering statement that the two found themselves rolling up beside the front gates to Jack's estate. Victor had seemingly chosen to take a back route that didn't require them to venture through the town. His choice of doing so, Tivona could only guess, was in the interest of saved time.

"We have arrived, Miss O'Dwyer," Victor announced, seizing the reigns tightly to bring the horses to a slow stop. He then exited the driver's seat and walked around to her side with the intent of helping her down, Victorian gentleman that he was.

Once she had accepted his hand and he was in the process of assisting her to the ground, he noticed something quite shocking. Tivona's former ethereal beauty –the kind she'd had the day he met her and the same that had earned her the wide-spread attention in the town- had returned to full bloom. Her skin was once again a pearly, snow-white, her eyes glittered with the same golden lavender hue, and though he had not seen her apply any make-up at all, her lips were painted dark crimson.

"Thank you, Victor," She said pleasantly, her voice somehow far more dulcet than it was a few minutes ago. "You are, by far, one of the kindest gentlemen I've ever met. Oh, and would you also mind fetching my luggage from the back? It was a bit too far for me reach."

Because he was too polite to argue, Victor simply nodded his head in consent and began his climb into the back bay to fish her duffel bag out of the mountains of glass bottles. Much to his chagrin, however, Tivona proceeded forward down the path and through the rusty front gates. Clearly, he was expected to drop her bag off at the front like any proper coachman.

_Perhaps she'll give me a bit of silver for my trouble? _He thought snidely to himself as he continued to reach for the bag. After a moment or two, however, he decided that such a tip might not be so unwelcome, were she apt to offer it.

* * *

The meeting was now going into its third hour and very little had been accomplished.

The first hour of the rather small gathering –which only included the Mayor, his secretary and, of course, Jack and Sally- was spent convincing the Mayor that the Masquerade Ball was, in fact, a good idea. This was especially difficult for Sally to do, as she remained fairly certain of the exact opposite opinion. For this reason, she allowed Jack to do most of the talking and only spoke when he urged her to or clearly needed a backup argument to keep his train of thought moving swiftly.

By the second hour, lunch was finally finished off. The four of them moved into a downstairs living room to receive slices of Devil's Food cake for dessert. It was during this final course that the Mayor finally seemed receptive to hearing Jack's concrete 'Ball' ideas, such as where it might be held and who would oversee the preparations. The answer to the first concern was a large hall containing a ballroom that could be conjured up tomorrow afternoon by the towns' various magickal beings, and the last was, naturally, _Sally. _This declaration seemed to seal the fate of whatever 'leisure time' her schedule still allowed.

Around the middle of this third hour, the mediation of ideas didn't seem to be going anywhere specific and Sally, for the most part, had tuned out of the back-and-forth banter between Jack and the Mayor. The young zombie woman secretary, however, was dutifully writing down everything she heard. Sally presumed she was newer hire.

The screaming doorbell was suddenly sounded, and everyone visibly jumped in their seats. Jack seemed to perk up slightly, realizing almost immediately who it probably was and Sally felt her stomach sink to her knees for a similar reason.

"Sally," Jack began, his tone steeped in frantic anticipation. "Would you kindly answer the door?"

She simply nodded, left the room, and began the short trek down the hallway and to the front door. All the while, she attempted to prepare herself for what the rest of this day would hold in store for her, in the very likely event that the person on the other side was Tivona.

Just before she arrived at her intended destination, she was joined by the swift, wispy, familiar form of Zero, who had just floated down from the upstairs landing. He made a point of nuzzling her ear affectionately with his jack-o-lantern nose. Sally, in return, lovingly reprimanded him for disobeying Jack's orders to stay upstairs during work hours by scratching his glacial, lucid ear. She also found the bone she kept on hand for him in one of her pockets, and made sure to toss it far across the room.

Zero was normally as friendly to strangers as he was to close friends, but Sally remained unsure about the effect Tivona might have. In the interest of peace, she reasoned, it was probably best that Zero stay occupied far enough away from the new housemate.

Finally, the door was opened to reveal the exact woman she had been both expecting and dreading.

"Good afternoon," Tivona greeted Sally airily, allowing herself to step into the threshold and set in immediately on eying her surroundings. "As you probably know, I'm Tivona O'Dwyer…and you're Miss Sally Stitches, aren't you? Jack's assistant?" Even as she asked this, her eyes never discontinued their overall survey to look at the person she was addressing.

Sally nodded. "Yes, that's right. Jack has asked me to show you to your new room-"

"Of course he has. Where is he at the moment?"

"In a meeting, currently," She explained flatly, already not impressed with their first real interaction. "After I show you to your room, I'll let him know you've arrived."

Tivona seemed sufficiently agreeable to this, and so she began to follow Sally to the winding staircase leading to the second story. Before either of them could touch a step, however, Zero came careening back into the lobby with Sally's bone clutched between his jaws. However, his initial, typical spirit of excitement and enthusiasm was killed upon catching sight of the unfamiliar woman.

He began to growl, something Sally had never seen him do, and his ribbon-like ears flattened back on his head. He then commenced a backward retreat from the area, never removing his glare from the female stranger.

"What is _that_?" Tivona asked with unmistakable disgust.

"_That, _is Jack's pet, Zero." Sally was more than a little bit pleased with this new development, even if she felt ashamed for being so. Indeed, it would be interesting to see how Miss O'Dwyer would fare in a house with a distrusting animal.

Jack then came around the corner from the living room, followed in tow by the Mayor and his secretary. He, of course, took immediate notice of Zero's strange behavior and strode quickly over to see what the trouble was, ignoring all of the inaudible complaints that continued to erupt from the Mayor.

"Zero? What's gotten into you, boy?"

He approached with the intent of comfortingly petting him, but Zero, instead, jumped protectively in front of his owner and continued to stare down Tivona. It then became unwaveringly clear to Sally what sort of message Jack's companion meant to convey.

"Zero, stop that right now!" Jack demanded, gently nudging him out of the way. "Now I don't know what has gotten into you, but I'm very disappointed in your behavior! You know better than to act like that, don't you?"

Zero, now the iconic image of shame, whimpered slightly and bowed his head.

"Sally, would you mind putting him outside?" Jack requested. "I simply can't have him acting like that while Miss O'Dwyer is here."

He then drifted over to the aforementioned woman and took her hands lovingly into his own. In an attempt to not see the subsequent interaction between them, Sally compliantly began efforts to lead Zero outside.

"_Jack_," Sally could hear Tivona coo as she turned the corner of the left hallway, leading to the back exit. "_Don't you remember what I asked you to call me? Ko`u Aloha_?"

"_Of course…Ko'u Aloha…it won't slip my mind again." _

Sally didn't bother suppressing an eye roll as she opened the backdoor and allowed Zero to float out into the autumn air. She followed him, not particularly interested in how the rest of the "meeting" would transpire.

Instead of earnestly greeting his outside surroundings with a playful bark and a few loops in the air, Zero solemnly returned Sally's bone and gazed up at her with worried eyes. He whimpered as she gently stroked his silken head.

"I know," she sighed softly, pocketing the bone. "I don't trust her either."

* * *

**A/N- **So whadda ya think, guys? I think this chapter is around a 6 or 7...not too bad, I don't think...helluva thing to write, though. This was one of those chapters that breech the gap between what I've already written and what I really want to write, so I got sort of bored with it and just wanted to _move on. _Has that happened with anyone else? I hope so...

So again, let me know what you think, what could be changed, what you might like to see happen, etc, etc, etc. I want to reiterate that I really appreciate all of you who are following this story, have decided to give it a try, and/or have left awesome reviews. I feel really privileged to have people take a genuine interest in my one of my odd, nerdy little hobbies. Thanks readers, y'all are awesome. =D


	9. Chapter 7 Girl Talk

**A/N**- Hey again, all! I apologize for the wait, as I meant to have waaay more chapters spat out by the end of October. Ah well, better late than never, right?

In other news, I thought I'd take this moment to address one of the more critical reviews given to me, as this person was anon and unable to be reached. The only reason I'm addressing it publicly is because I think doing so will highlight a better method of reviewing, (namely, one that I prefer and that many other writers will appreciate as well). So, without further ado, this goes out to Miss Blah-

First of all, Miss Blah, I want to thank you for your review and I want to let you know that I appreciate your criticism. I encourage this kind of review, because I know and realize that solely positive feedback isn't going to help me grow as writer(that's not to say that I only ever get positive reviews. I'm really not trying to sound stuck-up, honest). But while I appreciate your honesty (if I ever find a story boring, I usually just backspace so I admire you for voicing your opinion), I have to admit that your review didn't help me much more than a 'OMG this is so good lolz'. While you pointed out the issue (that the story was boring, it had too much unnecessary detail), you didn't highlight any specific examples or give me pointers on what I might have done differently. To me, that's sort of like calling the fire department and telling them there's a fire and then hanging up without giving a remote address. Also, in my own defense, you were reading the _prologue, _which is -and I quote wikipedia- "an opening to a story that establishes the setting and gives background details, often some earlier story that ties into the main one, and other miscellaneous information". So, all in all, it's not necessarily supposed to be brimming with action (though, if you ask me, I'd hardly call running through the streets of New York from a drug dealer _boring, _but to each his own) or storyline and is, in fact, meant to house all of that "unnecessary" detail.

So, Miss Blah, if you ever happen to grace this story again, I will ask you to-

1) Be a bit more specific in your criticism so I will perhaps know what to correct/make better when I beta this.

2) Try and give the actual chapters a chance. You never know, you might enjoy the actual story.

Ironically enough, though, I find this particular chapter to be somewhat dull. I didn't have that much fun writing it, to be honest, because I'm kind of excited to get to the Masquerade Ball (next chapter! OMG!). Let me know what you think, readers, and don't be afraid to get detailed!

**Disclaimer**- Burton's, et al.

* * *

"Good morning," she yawned as alluringly as possible.

"Good morning!" Was the unnaturally-cheery-for-this-early-in-the-morning response.

She had made sure to pop a pill before showering and brushing her teeth, so despite the fact that she had neglected her lengthy morning make-up routine, she knew she could rely on _Ensnare _to compensate.

Tivona then tightened the silk belt of her robe before sauntering in the kitchen to pour herself a mug of coffee. Jack, meanwhile, had returned to the study to put the finishing touches on his costume. The Masquerade Ball would take place that very evening, and all week he had kept the garment out and on display in case new accessory ideas came to him. Tivona, on the other hand, chose to keep her ball gown a secret. She had gone to great lengths to stealthily retrieve it from Gloria's Boutique, bring it back to Jack's estate, and bury it in her guestroom closet behind the amounting dresses Jack had commissioned for her. She liked to think that there was _someone _out there who desperately wanted to get an early peek of what she would be wearing to the gala, and that for this reason, it would be imperative to hide it.

Eventually, she joined Jack in his backroom study. With a dramatic stretch and loud yawn, she proceeded to flop herself down in a nearby chaise.

"Did you sleep well, my dear?" he asked as he critically inspected the blue, Cavalier ensemble before him.

"Fine," she responded, a bit halfheartedly. She then glanced over at his costume, wandering why it had to be the sole-recipient of his attention when she was lounging -somewhat proactively- in a thigh-length black robe. "What are you going to be, anyway?"

He turned to her, smiling disbelievingly. "Why, Athos, of course!"

Her subsequent, raised eyebrow spoke volumes.

"One of the three musketeers," he explained with a chuckle. "I could have sworn I had told you that before…"

_Most likely, _she thought to herself, knowing how apt she was to zone out when someone would talk in great length about something not pertaining to her. Jack had been better than most people about this, but he still had digressive moments where she'd wish she could just ask him to _hush. _Unfortunately, they weren't even engaged yet, so her charm had to remain thick.

"Where's Sally?" she finally wondered aloud, realizing that it was nine o'clock and no type writer echoes could be heard from the front lobby.

She was not normally eager to see Sally, as her closeness with Jack had already become blatantly apparent. However, Tivona did not yet seriously consider her a direct threat, as it seemed her skeleton was oblivious of the rather obvious crush his assistant was harboring for him. Still, she knew the ragdoll was quicker on the up-take than most in this town. If anyone were to discover and expose Tivona's mortality, it would definitely be Sally.

But on this morning, however, Tivona desperately needed some servant attention. She also desired to use this as an opportunity to establish an upper hand and remind Sally who was boss. If she could do that, she thought, perhaps the chances of subterfuge would lessen.

"Oh, I figured I give her the day off."

Jack began dusting off and adjusting the costume critically, as if he noticed some microscopic flaw that needed to be eradicated. "It _is _the day of the ball."

Tiovna sat straight up, neglecting her former attempt to look sexy-tired.

"But, _Jack…_" she whined. He still didn't bother to face her, and so she rose from the chaise, came up beside him, and linked their arms. "_Jack…_I really needed Sally here today to help me prepare…just for a little while…"

Her physical contact did not go unacknowledged. He finally turned from his costume to look at her, prepared to gently refuse her wishes. As per her expectations, however, the sight of her "_Ensnaring" _eyes would be his ruin.

"Well…" he began, hesitant. "I suppose I could call her in…just for a little while."

She stood on her tip-toes as she planted a lingering kiss on his cheekbone.

"Oh, Jack…you really are the sweetest Skeleton King in existence!"

She then scampered off to find a less-alluring robe to wear for Sally's arrival, leaving Jack as a metaphorical puddle of goo in the middle of his study's floor.

_Never mind that you're the ONLY Skeleton King in existence, _she thought. _As far as I know… _

_

* * *

_

Sally yawned and stretched as she waited patiently outside the manor doors. Having finished that, she took a glance at her wristwatch.

9:30 am, it read mockingly. _Well, _she thought to herself reassuringly, _it's much later than I've had to wake up for the past two weeks…_

Indeed, the beginning of Sally's October had been insanely busy. Between working for Jack and heading up the plans for the ball, there had been nary a spare moment for herself. Her typical schedule was waking up 4 am to open up the newly-made ballroom for preparations, greeting the various employees as they arrived, and then arriving at Jack's by 8. Her lunchtime was spent back at the ballroom checking on things. Afterwards, she would head back to the manor to work until 7pm, at which time she was back at the ballroom with the evening shift until 1 am.

So, all in all, her time for sleep and eating was a grand total of 3 hours. Needless to say, she had been looking forward to dedicating this day to sleeping in until 1pm, getting pampered at the spa, and then having fun at the ball.

Jack's early morning phone call soon proved that wish was too good to be true.

"Sally! There you are!"

The now almost-familiar voice of Tivona ripped Sally from her reverie. She looked up to see the unnaturally gorgeous young woman standing in the entryway.

"I'm ever _so _glad you make it today," she gushed. "You have no idea how much help I need to get ready!"

Now Sally was confused.

"Oh," she began, uncertain. "I sort of thought Jack needed me to-"

"He _needs _you to help _me._"

She then seized the ragdoll by her wrist and nearly dragged her inside the manor. The doors automatically closed behind them both with a reverberating echo.

"There really is so much to do," Tivona mentioned partly to herself, as she began her ascent up the winding staircase. "It would be impossible for me to get it done all by myself…"

"Now, hold on a moment," Sally called out to her. "With all due respect, Miss O'Dwyer, I work for Jack and he didn't exactly specify that I would need to be assisting you. Furthermore, _I _would like to get ready for the ball as well…"

Tivona grinned with obviously-feigned charm. "And so you shall. Didn't I say we would be going to the spa first? Hair and nails are a must, after all."

_And why do I think my time there won't be as relaxing with you around?_ Sally wondered to herself.

* * *

Truthfully, their time at the spa hadn't been terrible.

Tivona had sent for a carriage to transport them there from the manor, and she had spent most of the travel time babbling to Sally about what sort of hairstyle she wanted. When they finally arrived, Tivona decided she'd have her hair done immediately and since Sally was fairly certain _that_ would take at least an hour, she decided to get a massage in the mean time.

It was bliss to just lay in the quiet, dimmed room while the large monster creation –another one of Doctor Finkelstein's, in fact- worked magic on her knotted back. After all the work she had put in for the past two weeks, Sally couldn't help but think that she deserved this. Technically speaking, of course, she probably deserved a lot more than one hour's worth. But it didn't really matter, she supposed. Any massage was better than none.

She eventually emerged from the room feeling looser and more relaxed than ever before. Before she could fully appreciate this, however, Tivona appeared before her at the end of the hallway.

"Sally!" she called out, waving her hand as though she might have been difficult to see. "Come on, it's mani-pedi time!"

Tivona's hair was beautifully done, if not terribly artificial-looking. It had been intricately styled into something that Sally couldn't quite classify as a bun or a crown, but definitely somewhere in between. It had a sheen of stiff hairspray that made her strands shine unnaturally in the fluorescent lighting, and as Sally followed her to the next room, she could see how plastic said hairspray made the styling look.

"Sit next to me," Tivona beckoned, waving her hand over the chair beside the one she had just claimed.

Sally was reluctant, at best, knowing that she would have to spend the rest of their time here chatting it up with the one person in Halloween Town she honestly didn't care for. But she soon scolded herself for being so single-minded and not giving Tivona a fair chance.

_Perhaps our first meeting was just a fluke,_ she thought to herself. _Perhaps she isn't as bad as I think she is…either way, I can't dislike someone just because I'm a little jealous of them. Stop being so petty, Sally Stitches. You can do better than that. _

Sally then accepted the seat beside the eager young woman and prepared to have her hands and feet clutched at by other people for the next half-hour.

"I'm so glad we're doing this together," Tivona said sweetly, taking a sip of the complimentary Mimosa she had been given. She made a grimace after having tasted it, and promptly put the drink back beside her with the implication she wouldn't touch it again. "It'll be good for us to spend time together, don't you think, Sally?"

Sally made the most convincing smile she could manage. "Yes, of course."

"I mean, I _know _how close you and Jack are, and I think it's only appropriate that you and I become _as_ close. Don't you agree?"

"Why would that be only appropriate?" she felt compelled to ask.

Tivona chuckled a bit in an attempt to lighten the increasingly awkward situation. "Oh dear, Sally, I think I've unintentionally implied something. I don't mean anything negative with what I'm saying, but…oh, well…think of it this way- if your significant other was close friends with someone of the opposite sex, you'd want to…shall we say, be _in _on that relationship, wouldn't you?"

Sally took a swig of her complimentary alcohol. "Tivona, I do hope you're not trying to rope me into a ménage-a-"

"Of course not!" she interrupted quickly. "_That's _not what I mean…"

Sally then sighed and replaced her drink.

"Look, you have nothing to worry about with Jack and I, trust me. There never has been anything between us and there never will. We're _just _friends."

Tivona seemed noticeably satisfied with this answer, as she smiled triumphantly and sat a bit straighter in her chair.

"Well, I suppose we shouldn't dwell on that," she decided with some finality. "Let's talk just about _you, _Sally. Do you have any men in your life?"

There had never been a question Sally was more loathe to answer.

"By _men_, I assume you mean someone I'm romantically interested in?"

The other woman nodded a bit incredulously.

"Then no," she answered, taking another sip of her beverage. "I don't."

"Well, isn't someone taking you to the ball?"

"Yes, I suppose. But he's just a friend."

Tivona brightened with excitement. "Oh, _who_? You must tell me!"

Sally craned her neck to get a good look at the clock on the far wall. Her discomfort with this situation had been rapidly increasing, and she wouldn't have minded at all for it to come to a screeching halt. Unfortunately, the clock proceeded to inform her that she had only been conversing with her new friend for six minutes.

Bereft of any real method of escape, Sally returned to the conversation.

"You know Victor VanDort, right?"

"Victor? Jack's friend? Of course I do! Oh, Sally, he is adorable, isn't he? Now _he _would be a good match for you."

Sally wondered if it would be worth the effort to correct her with the another, _we're just friends, I assure you. _Ultimately deciding that it wouldn't, she proceeded to acquiesce to Tivona's wishes.

"Yes, maybe." She then flashed the other woman a bright smile. "_Say, _your hair is lovely. I'm sorry I didn't notice it before! Where did you get the inspiration for that style?"

And thus, Sally was spared from all uncomfortable conversation in favor of 'hair talk' for the rest of their spa appointment.

* * *

"I don't think she likes you."

Gloria mentioned this as soon as Sally had disappeared from the bedroom on an errand to fetch tea for Tivona and her two 'helpers'. Really though, it had just been an excuse for Sally to leave the two new best friends- Gloria and Tivona, that is, who had decided in the course of their acquaintance that they rather liked each other, after all- to gossip about her.

"I _know _she doesn't like me," the younger woman corrected, gasping a bit when Gloria tugged the strings on her corset. "And who can blame her? I am encroaching on Jack, after all."

"Oh, well, we _all _hate you for that," Gloria replied with a scoff, referring to the female population of Halloween Town.

"Yeah, but he and Sally are, like…well, _bros, _really_. _I think that made her a bit delusional about the possibilities of their relationship."

Tivona could see Gloria nod in understanding in the reflection of her vanity mirror. "Ah, the token female friend, I get it. You shouldn't misjudge her, though, Vonie. I made Herb get rid of all of his by the second year in our marriage. 'Didn't trust a single one of them."

"Why? Was he unfaithful?"

Gloria shook her head as she finished cinching the corset. "Nah. I didn't give 'im the chance. Ya see, he'd come home and I'd let 'im know what a lazy, worthless corpse he was. I was only bein' honest. But then he'd say, '_Ya know, Gloria, my friend Suzy can't ever stop saying good things about me. Why is that my WIFE always puts me down?'_. So then I explained that the wife is the one who has to whip the husband into shape and that, by the way, he can tell Suzy never to talk to him again 'less I take matters into my own hands."

Tivona cocked an eyebrow. "Wow. I never knew being married was so difficult."

Gloria shuffled over to the wardrobe to carefully fish out the first article of Tivona's costume gown.

"Oh, don't worry, sweetie. Marriage is gonna be a walk in the park for you," she assured. "Jack will have his life and you'll have yours- as a flippin' _Queen, _might I remind you- and you'll both have piles of money in between."

Tivona rose from the seat of the vanity mirror and stretched her arms outward on either side of her so that Gloria could fit the bodice of the gown around her torso.

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves, Gloria," she sighed. "Jack has yet to propose."

"But we all know he will, don't we? Hell, he's already asked you to live with him. It can't be long now."

Tivona glanced at herself in the mirror, taking a moment to really admire the effect _Ensnare _had on her features. However, she couldn't seem to wipe away the lingering sense of doubt that seemed to taint her self-confidence and, thusly, her beauty. _Would_ Jack propose? Most certainly he would, as he had basically stated the fact in his first letter to her. She also supposed there wasn't an exact deadline, so it wasn't as if he would need to it in a certain amount of time. Still, she prayed she wouldn't have to wait too long. The sooner she became Queen, the sooner her position in this world would become permanent.

* * *

Jack strolled into his large kitchen to find Sally tending to a tea tray and grumbling. He checked the time on the wall and nearly jumped once he saw how late it was.

"Sally! What are you still doing here? It's 5:30, shouldn't you be home getting ready?"

She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. Jack could have sworn it was something of a glare, but he couldn't think of one reason she should be angry with him.

"I would think so," she answered him flatly. "But Miss O'Dwyer has yet to release me."

"Oh, I see," Jack chuckled, coming beside her to finish the remaining dishes in the sink. "Well, it was awfully kind of you to come today and assist her, but she has Mrs. Dobberstein here now. I think she'll fare just fine without you."

They then looked up from their respective assignments to exchange brief smiles, though Sally's was a bit heavier on the gratitude and relief.

"Besides, you work for me, Miss Stitches."

Sally nodded and grinned to herself. "Yes, I do, Mr. Skellington."

She then lingered for a moment beside him while he clattered dishes around in mountains of soap suds. He took little notice of her momentary reluctance to leave, having become so accustom to Sally's presence that it was more of a security blanket now than anything else. Because he took such comfort in having her around, he had no reason to protest her lingering there. In fact, an argument could have been made that it was one of the many reasons he scheduled her to work so extensively.

Finally, she turned to leave and had gotten a good third of the way across the kitchen floor before Jack felt the rather familiar emptiness that always accompanied her departure.

"Sally," he called out, causing her to almost immediately turn back around. "I was wondering if you had a moment to talk?"

She nodded and resumed her position beside him, in front of the long-forgotten tray of tea.

"You might remember a week and a half ago I asked you what you thought of Tivona, and you told me that you didn't know her well enough to have an opinion."

Sally fidgeted as she awaited the subsequent query, while Jack began drying each dish with a hand towel.

"Well, now that she's been living here for awhile and you've had a chance to interact with her, I thought you might have some more concrete thoughts. Anything?"

He then looked over at her expectantly, and she tried very hard not to seem uncomfortable or nervous about answering his request.

"Oh…well," she began, avoiding eye contact. "I just don't know, Jack, I still feel like we're as good as strangers. Any opinion I have about her is bound to be inaccurate and uninformed."

"Even after you went to the spa with her today?" he challenged.

Sally exhaled somewhat loudly and turned to lean frontwards against the counter surface. Clearly, this was a battle she was losing.

"Sally," Jack continued, not without some patronization. "We've been friends for a year now, and I've known you even longer than that. I _know _you don't like her and are unwilling to tell it to me straightforward."

She looked at him in shocked disbelief, and for a moment her mouth moved as though she planned to refute the point. Instead, she sighed once more and walked away from the supportive counter to pace the marble floor.

"Well…why is it so important what I think?"

Jack placed a dish in the upper cabinet slowly, all the while eyeing her with confusion.

"Because you're my best friend." The statement was simple and Jack had said it with air of incredulity, as if the situation should require no other explanation and was surprised Sally had requested one.

She, in turn, crossed her arms over her chest and tried not to show remorse for her prior attitude.

"So, you want my approval?"

He shook his head and faced the sink once more.

"No," he mumbled. "It would be _nice_, of course…especially tonight, when I ask-"

The sentence stopped abruptly, as though it had been severed by a particularly sharp and clean-cutting sword. Even stranger, Jack proceeded to offer no explanation for this sudden secession of words. Sally was then left to wade in the silent confusion.

"Tonight, when you…?"

"Nothing," he insisted, still focusing solely on the dishes with more concentration than was necessary. "I…just lost my train of thought."

Another tense moment of silence passed between them before Sally decided she wasn't obligated to reveal –or admit, rather- her secrets if Jack refused to do the same.

"If there's nothing else then, Jack, I think I ought to be going."

"Yes, there's not much time left."

"I'll see you there."

"Yes, of course, I'll see you-"

Jack had just turned around from dish duty to give his closest friend a proper farewell, when he saw that she was no longer there. The echo of the heavy front doors closing signaled her rapid departure.

"-there." He finished half-heartedly.

Sighing cathartically, he placed the last bone-dry dish in the cabinet and released the stopper on the sink drain. He intended to pause a moment to gaze wistfully out the front window at the sight of the early fall evening, but soon took notice of the tea tray sitting expectantly where Sally had been standing not two minutes ago.

Realizing that he was the only one available to bring his beloved her tea, he gathered up the tray and set off in the direction of her boudoir.

* * *

**A/N**- How about it, guys?

My chapter rating- 5.5-6, somewhere in there. What do you think?


	10. Chapter 8 Masquerade

**A/N**- Whoo, boy, this was a doozie of a chapter, let me tell you. So for those very few of you who keep tabs on this story, I apologize for the wait. This was a very trying to chapter to get through, mainly because it covers a lot of exposition. I wanted to point out a couple of important things before you continue onward to the story-

1) We'll meet some new characters in this chapter and as you might already have guessed, said new characters are forming various manners of acquaintance with the main, canon characters. It may feel like some of these new acquaintances are lacking in closure or explanation, but I assure you that it was intentional. Some of the new OCs, themselves, will probably feel incomplete. Again, I tell you, this was my intention. We'll learn more about these OCs and their relation to the canon characters in future chapters (like, the next one, for example). In the meantime, just hang tight and interpret their interactions as you'd like.

2) At the end of this chapter, we'll meet up with one of the canon NBC characters. He does something a little out of the norm. When I wrote this particular scene, I tried my best to have it make sense for who he is. Do let me know if it still comes off as completely implausible. I'd like for it to make sense, as well as lend said character some more depth, but perhaps its a lost cause in any case. Do share your thoughts and wisdom on this, dear readers.

Lastly, I'd like to share some unfortunate news I found out about only last night (that you guys might already know, anyway). Glenn Shadix, the actor who provided the voice for the Mayor of Halloween Town, portrayed Otho in Beetlejuice, and who was the pastor in Heathers (not a Burton film, but still a favorite of mine), passed away September 7th of this year from a head injury. He was only 58 years old. It saddens me greatly that the movie industry is now without yet another great, talented, charismatic actor. Glenn was one of the many 'actor staples' of my childhood and his deep, southern baritone will forever hold a place in my heart.

To him, I'd like to dedicate this chapter (such as it is, =P). RIP, Glenn Shadix. You will be sorely missed.

* * *

Jack stood proudly and patiently in the front lobby, finally bedecked in his costume. Being dressed as one of the Three Musketeers-complete with rapier, knee-high boots, and feather hat- it was difficult to not possess an overpowering sense of lordliness. When he stood still, he felt compelled to keep his gloved hands in fists on his hips, and his chest, puffed out magnificently.

As he awaited Tivona's reveal from the top of the stairs, he gallantly paced the marble floor, occasionally unsheathing his rapier and sparring with an invisible opponent. He half-hoped a real opportunity of the like might occur at the ball itself. He had yet to be given a chance to show off his real sword-fighting abilities and he imagined it might make for an entertaining display.

Just as he was contemplating what tactics he could use against his imaginary adversary, Tivona's purposeful cough from the top of the stairs interrupted him. He quickly replaced his weapon and turned to catch a glimpse of her.

She looked ethereally gorgeous in a midnight-black, sleeveless Victorian bustle gown with red trim and similarly colored beading along the neckline. Her arms were sheathed from hand to elbow in ebony gloves, a blood red lacy stole was draped like a curtain across her shoulders, and in her right hand she held a matching black-and-red fan that concealed the half of her face that wasn't covered by her mask. As to be expected, the mask also abided by the color scheme of her outfit.

Closing her fan with a snap, she carefully descended the long staircase. One gloved hand desperately clutched the railing for support, while the other held the excess fabric of her gown.

Jack met her at the bottom by politely taking her hand and helping her step to the floor.

"Look at you," he sighed in awe, proceeding to awkwardly twirl her around with the hand that still had her own. Because she was especially mindful of her masterfully done hairstyle and clothing, she only acquiesced to this motion half-heartedly, proceeding to pat at her bun and gown afterwards as though to put everything back into place. "You will be the belle of the ball, Tivona, my dear!"

Jack then sprinted to an end table near the front doors and grabbed a long black box that had been laying there unassumingly.

"I've gotten you a little something," he said almost mischievously as he approached her. "I hope you won't mind."

He opened it to reveal a sparkling black diamond choker with a dark ruby pendant dangling in the center.

Tivona almost shrieked upon sight of it, and it was all she could do to keep from snatching the item up like a greedy child. Jack obliged to taking the necklace out its box and motioning for her to turn around.

"I'd be glad to put it on you, _Ko'u Aloha_. Allow me."

Once the choker was securely fastened, Tivona skipped over to the nearest reflective surface (which happened to be a silver platter) and eyed herself.

"Oh Jack, it's just _perfect_."

She suddenly turned to look at him suspiciously. "Wait, how did you know what colors would match with my costume?"

Jack, seemingly prouder than ever, explained how Gloria had obliged to impart the colors of Tivona's gown.

"I figured you'd want it match," he explained. "And besides, darling woman, I _did _pay for it."

"Oh, _you!_" she teased with a wave of a playfully scolding index finger.

He then linked an arm with hers and the two began to make their way towards the front exit.

"I hope you aren't too saturated already," he whispered to her as they strolled to the door. "Because this isn't the only gift you'll be receiving from me this evening."

He then winked at her. Tivona couldn't decide which she should have been more perplexed about- the implication of Jack's statement or the fact that she _saw a skeleton wink. _

Deciding to brush the thoughts aside, she turned back to her gentleman friend and gave him a charming smile.

"Well, in the meantime, Jack _darling, _I have a present for you."

As soon as they stepped foot outside, the couple was met by the sight of an elegantly gothic carriage, manned by skeleton footmen and pulled by a quartet of skeleton horses. Jack nearly jumped out of his costume in surprise and had to fight the urge to drag the much slower-moving Tivona down the front steps to meet his gift.

Once they were within a reasonable proximity, Jack detached himself from his lady's side and briefly orbited the carriage to get a good look at its overall assets.

"Magnificent!" he gushed. "Absolutely, horrifically wonderful!"

"Frankly, I'm a bit surprised you didn't already have one," Tivona mentioned, attempting to sound audible over his rather loud prattle. "As King, it seems only natural to me that you'd arrive at a ball in style."

One of the footmen then helped Tivona step up into the carriage and Jack proceeded to bounce in along beside her.

"I don't mind walking…but perhaps you're right. Perhaps I should have just one of these…for occasions like this, of course."

"Of course, you should. It doesn't really make a sense for a King not to."

Then, with a sudden snap of Tivona's fingers, the driver cracked the whip. The two were then off down the cobblestone streets to the newly-conjured ballroom.

* * *

"I just simply can't believe you did all this in just two weeks," Victor mentioned with an unmistakable sense of awe. "Just saying that out loud makes it seem even more impossible!"

He and Sally arrived at the ball not that long ago. Almost immediately, the both of them had gravitated to the far corner of the very large ballroom, strategically close to the punch table. The two now stood casually in their respective costumes- Victor, as the phantom of the opera, and Sally, as what could only be described as a 'Pirate Queen'- with plastic cups of spiked punch, attempting to generate as much small talk as possible.

"Well, most of my schedule was devoted to this particular project," Sally admitted. "But even now as I stand here looking at it, I almost can't believe I did it either. I mean, really, _who _was operating my controls to make me capable of pulling this out in two weeks? With, roughly, two hours of sleep per day?"

Victor almost lost his swig of punch. "Two hours? Surely, you don't mean that." '

She nodded and sipped from her own glass. "Oh, but I do."

"Well, then perhaps it was worth it. You've outdone yourself, Miss Stitches."

Sally thanked him and the two clanked glasses to celebrate the minor victory before helping themselves to another gulp.

A brief moment of silence passed as the two surveyed the scene before them.

It was early, as the ball had only been going on for an hour or so, but the floor before them was already crowded with most of Halloween Town's residents. Somehow, the lot of them looked even more horrific and terrible than usual in their glittery, elaborate costumes and seemingly redundant masks. Many were already growing tired of waltzing to the elegant accompaniment of the orchestra, and many more were already very drunk from the punch and numerous other sources of alcohol there at their disposal.

Sally had to admit that the collective sight of it was both beautiful and grotesque.

"I wonder when Jack will be arriving," Victor pondered suddenly, eying the crowd as if he expected the Skeleton King to be hiding somewhere within. Sally felt a familiar stirring in her gut at the mention of his name- the kind that was mixed with both excited anticipation and nauseating dread.

"Soon, I imagine," she murmured.

"By the way, what do you make of that Tivona woman of his? Between you and me, I find her a bit odd…in an almost unsavory way. Don't you?"

She shifted her weight and looked around the area in desperation, half-hoping that some sort of distraction would present itself at that very moment and save her from having to answer this question again. After giving it a good 20 seconds, she decided no such saving grace would be arriving any time soon.

"Oh, I don't know," was her final, uncertain reply. "I'm sure she's fine."

"Really?"

She knew Victor was surveying her doubtfully, but she chose to neither acknowledge nor reciprocate his stare.

"Because sometimes I worry about him," he continued. "He's just very impulsive, is what I mean. He's an excellent King and perhaps his refusal to think through decisions is what makes him so, but I do wish he'd give this relationship more time and thought before committing himself emotionally."

"Well, that's just Jack for you, Victor. He hates having to think through anything for too long."

Victor nodded. "Yes, I realize.

"Besides," Sally resumed. "He never listens to any advice, no matter how accurate and informed."

"But- that's not entirely true. He usually listens to you."

She shook her head and finished her glass in one fell swoop. "Trust me, Victor, I've tried."

It was then that a loud fanfare echoed throughout the palatial halls of the ballroom. This caused everyone to immediately cease conversation and face towards the front staircase to see what manner of creature would accompany the grand announcement. Of course, it didn't take a particularly analytical mind to deduce exactly who this entry music would be for.

The herald, a rather short skeleton -decked in the servants' 18th century-themed uniform, complete with knickers and powdered wig- lowered his own horn and cleared his throat.

"Presenting his Majesty King Jack Skellington of Halloween, and in his company, the sorceress Miss Tivona O'Dwyer."

* * *

With a grace and sophistication that Tivona was sure no one in this town had seen before, she and Jack glided elegantly down the front staircase and through the crowd, parting the masses evenly like the Red Sea.

Each citizen nodded and/or bowed to the lovely pair as they made their way to the center of the floor. Jack met these acknowledgements with a wave or a nod of the head, while Tivona chose to blow brief kisses.

When the couple had finally arrived at the epicenter, the crowd encircled the both of them and waited expectantly to hear what Jack had planned to say.

"To each and every one of you here with us this evening," the King began boisterously. "I bid you welcome! For those of you not native to Halloween Town- and, yes, we do have some guests from other Holidays here with us. You may not have recognized them due to their costumes- this is our _very first _Masquerade Ball! We feel so very privileged to have you with us and we hope this will give you a good taste of what celebrating our Holiday is like. I, for one, hope it will encourage you to join the official festivities on the 31st. Let's give a round of applause to our out-of-town guests, shall we?"

The enthusiastic and very loud response lasted for a good three minutes before Jack motioned politely for a momentary silence.

"And now, let us all dance, drink and be merry!"

This was also met with a resounding bellow from the crowd, as well as the celebratory hoisting of glasses, swords, hats, and whatever else the guests happened to have in their hands at the time.

When the fervor eventually dispersed, so did the congregation. It was at this time that Jack re-linked arms with Tivona and resumed their social stroll across the ballroom, searching for those wanting to mingle. After a few brief, half-hearted conversations, Jack caught sight of his two best friends near the punch bowl and hurried his date along with him to greet them properly.

"Victor! Sally!" he called with a wave as he made his way over.

"Jack!" Victor replied, striding over to meet his friend half-way. He was followed close behind by Sally, who was still striving not to seem ridiculously uncomfortable. "You look fantastic, my friend! Say, where's d'Artagnan?"

The two of them shared a hearty laugh while Tivona averted her head to yawn and Sally insincerely smiled and sloshed her recently refilled drink around a bit.

"And you, Victor! Erik, the phantom…simply ingenious!"

"You know, I _was _a bit afraid someone might have gotten the same idea. So far, I seem to be the only phantom here."

"Well, the night is still young, my friend, and some of the guests have yet to arrive. You may indeed be replicated _and _bested."

"In that case, Jack, I will simply ask you to skewer said impostor with your magnificent rapier."

"It would be my pleasure, Mr. VanDort. I simply can't have charlatans at my Masquerade Ball."

The two then again shared another impassioned chortle while their respective female partners continued to stand patiently, pretending to find the whole conversation similarly amusing. Eventually, Sally decided that she wasn't keen to be simply a spectator, and so made her own effort to include herself and Tivona.

"That's a beautiful gown," she pointed out a bit loudly before either Victor or Jack could say another word. "What are you supposed be?"

Tivona glowed and did a slight twirl, as if to appease her immediate audience.

"That's very kind of you, dear. I intended the costume to represent Mina from _Dracula_."

"Oh!" Sally exclaimed with feigned awe. "How creative!"

Truthfully, Tivona wasn't aware that her costume would be expected to resemble a specific character or entity until three hours prior to this event, when Gloria was putting the finishing touches on her gown. She then asked her the same question Sally just had, and when Tivona admitted she had no clue, the seamstress offered a suggestion.

'_Mina? Oh, you mean Winona Ryder's character in that one Dracula movie.' _

Gloria simply stared at her, blankly. '_…who?'_

'_Uhm…nevermind.'_

"And you?" the human woman then asked Sally, gesturing towards her elaborate-if not somewhat bohemian and ragged-looking- gown.

Sally adjusted her feathered tri-corn hat, hoping that it might have offered a clue.

"I'm supposed to be a female pirate...of sorts."

"That's brilliant!" Jack interjected. "A pirate queen!"

She nodded eagerly, surprised someone had guessed exactly what she had in mind when designing the dress itself.

"I realize, of course, that Pirates usually weren't female, much less _Queens, _but I thought it would be a fun theme to experiment with."

Jack nodded. "Simply fantastic, and you look beautiful."

Sally's blush had barely crept up on her cheeks when Tivona let out a nervous chuckle and possessively attached herself to Jack's arm.

"Well, I suppose it's about time our King took me for a waltz. It was so nice talking to you both, have a fun evening!"

With that hasty departure having been given, Tivona quickly turned Jack around and nudged him away from his friends and into the sea of fabric. He waved pleasantly to them over his shoulder as they disappeared from view.

Victor soon redirected his attention to his companion, offering her his hand.

"Speaking of which, I don't believe we've had a dance yet. Shall we?"

She placed her cup on the nearest surface and put her hand in his obligingly. The two then merged into the synchronized bodies as the orchestra struck up a new waltz.

* * *

At 10 pm, Tivona didn't expect to find herself alone by the punchbowl in the corner of the ballroom. She also didn't anticipate Jack excusing himself from dancing with her 10 minutes before to "have a word with the servants".

She watched the now very inebriated crowd of guests continue to prance and stumble around the dance floor. She wished there was something she could do to revert the majority of their attentions to her, but every method she conjured up involved having to do a less-than-classy deed. As a strong candidate for queen, she knew she had to maintain that false sense of propriety, but it still felt _wrong _to her that she should be pushed aside to the refreshment table like a fat girl at senior prom. She needed to talk to someone- anyone- to take the edge off her hunger for acknowledgement.

Fortunately, her need was soon to be answered by the approach of two acquaintances and their respective dates. Unfortunately, said acquaintances were the witches Helga and Zelda, both of whom were very drunk and accompanied by two leprechauns that were undoubtedly even more hammered.

"There she ish!" Helga cried out to Tivona, stumbling away from the arm of her small gentleman friend. The witch's costume- which due to the presence of a tail and pointy ears, seemed to at one point represent a cat- was somewhat twisted around her body and her black, whiskered mask lay askew across her forehead. She appeared to have been assaulted by the decorative streamers at some time or another, as they hung haphazardly over her shoulders, arms, and around her pointed hat.

"Look, Z-helda, itsh Vonie! Look how purty she ish…"

Helga proceeded to lumber over to Tivona and drape an arm around her shoulders. Though the gesture was done amicably, she expected it was executed more for the purpose of getting a stable footing. Zelda, meanwhile, skipped and stumbled over to the pair giddily. Apparently, alcohol had more of an energizing effect for her than the typical opposite result.

"What're you shupposed to be, anyway?" Helga slurred, taking a swig from the large bottle that dangled in her opposite hand. "Shome kinda fancy-shmancy proshtitute?"

She and her sister then enjoyed a strong, unwarranted laugh, and Tivona decided then to carefully remove Helga's appendage from her person.

"I'm _not _a prostitute," she corrected. "And you two are unbelievably wasted. Why don't you talk to me again when you're sober enough to form coherent sentences? Really, I don't have time for this…"

She readjusted her shawl and made to exit the situation via walking a few steps out of the vicinity. The sisters seemed to take little offense or notice of this and enthusiastically bid her adieu.

"Don't whorry about ush, Vonie."

"Yeah, whe'll talk to you at band practish!"

Tivona winced at this reminder and didn't bother to reciprocate their farewell. Once more, the sisters didn't seem to care much as they hobbled away again with their new-found boyfriends.

_The next time I'm there, _she said to herself with finality, _I MUST steal the Ensnare recipe. No more messing around, Tivona Kalani O'Dwyer. The sooner you take it, the sooner you can stop wasting your time. _

Having decided that, she began to scan the surrounding area for any sign of Jack's return. It had been nearly 15 minutes that he had left her alone and she began to wonder what implications that made for his feelings towards her.

_No matter, _she reminded herself, _you've already seen how forgetful and absentminded he is. You know he's hopelessly in love with you. Don't worry, you've totally got this in the bag._

Just as she realized how odd and pathetic it was for her to continuously hold mental conversations with herself, an unexpected, silken British voice whispered behind her.

"Do you know them?"

Startled, Tivona whipped around to see who possessed such a tone. Standing not but a foot away from her was a tall, dark, cloaked figure of a man. His mask was a simple black sash with eyeholes tied around his head, and it was through said openings that she was allowed to meet with his piercing, ebony eyes. As he stepped into the light she could see his hair was long and raven-hued and tied back low with a similarly colored ribbon. When he pushed his cloak to the side, she could see that his remaining attire consisted of a billowy white shirt beneath a basic, black, 17th century doublet. All of this was accompanied by matching trousers, knee-high boots and a gold-hilted sword that held fast to his side.

"The drunken witches, I mean," he specified, now coming in close. "They do not seem the type of company a woman of your caliber would keep."

She shivered slightly and clutched her shawl for moral support.

"I didn't have much of a choice," she replied, suspicious. "They were a…how do you say…_accidental acquaintance_?"

He smiled out of the corner of his mouth and it oddly made her knees slightly weak.

"My name is Septimus Belvoir."

He bowed to her slightly and helped himself to one of her hands, upon which he placed a warm, lingering kiss.

Her insides miraculously transformed into gooey, molten-hot chocolate.

"May I have yours, my lady?"

"Uh-uhm-uh…" she stammered ungallantly, attempting to overcome the spell the strange –and, admittedly, very attractive- man had placed upon her. "I-i-i-t's Tivona…O'Dwyer."

Septimus closed his eyes and sighed, as though her name was a fine wine he intended to savor.

"Quite beautiful," he said after a moment, his gaze returning to lock with hers. "Would you care to dance?"

She appreciated the request, even if she was quite sure of her inability to refuse him. Once she accepted his hand, Septimus lead them both into the middle of the crowd. He stalled until the orchestra started up the next piece, which just so happened to be none other than the elegant Emperor Waltz by Strauss.

He did not hesitate in his movements to place a hand at the small of her back and another in her own. Tivona barely had time to lay her opposite hand on his shoulder before he commenced the lively, rhythmic movements across the marble floor. She felt almost as if she was on some sort of amusement park ride, as Septimus seemed to be entirely in control. He nearly carried her though the legions of costumed guests as the orchestra picked up speed.

"I must ask," he mentioned suddenly, startling her. "What in the world a young woman like yourself is doing here? I can't say I've seen you before."

"Oh, well…you see…I'm a sorceress…sort of…"

"How long ago did you arrive?"

Her discomfort was steadily climbing, but as much she would have liked to search the area for an avenue of escape, she felt a certain unavoidable pull coming from his eyes that prevented her from ever looking away. Worse still, the longer she gazed, the harder it became to not tell him the absolute truth.

"Not that long ago. A few weeks."

He nodded in understanding and momentarily looked away, releasing her from the eerie hold. As she gathered gasps of relief, she tried to assure herself that it was all in her head and not some form of black magic. She did find him handsome, after all, if not especially so, and perhaps that's all it was.

Certainly, that's all it was. What else could it have been?

"You're also the King's consort, aren't you?"

She snapped back to face him, a bit offended by his choice of the word 'consort'. It sounded more than a bit dirty, in her opinion, and she liked to think of herself as more refined than the usual type of girl who would serve as a mistress. Besides, of what use would a consort be to Jack the _skeleton_?

Before she could refute the point, however, she took notice of the fact that Septimus was grinning. In doing so, he revealed his set of particularly sharp front teeth.

"You're…a vampire," she gulped. It was both a statement and a question.

He nodded and chuckled as he continued to sweep her around the floor.

* * *

On the opposite side of the ballroom, Sally stood in a one-sided discussion with Ziggy while absentmindedly munching on a handful of trail mix.

"So, I tried to tell him I wasn't interested, but he just _wouldn't _take no for an answer. He's been callin' me nonstop over the week, showin' up at my work, and now, wouldn't you know it, he's been trailin' me throughout this whole dance. I swear, Sally, I'm at my freakin' wits end!"

Sally nodded and attempted a sympathetic 'hmmm'. She was inclined to say more, but it was impossible to get a word in edgewise when talking with her roommate.

"I just, _literally, _don't know what to do. I've told him time and time again that I DON'T like him. I mean, what else can a girl do, you know? Oh, hi Mr. Skellington."

Sally quickly whipped around at the mention of his name before remembering Ziggy's fondness for arbitrarily pretending Jack was there just to see what her reaction would be. Luckily, however, her greeting was legitimate this time, as he was steadfastly approaching.

"Evening, Miss Neferet! Hello again, Sally!"

He took a moment to survey Ziggy closely, this time with a bit of confusion. "And what are you supposed to be?"

Ziggy straightened out her faux wings and glittery skirt.

"I dunno," she replied, flatly. "Like, a fairy or somethin', I guess."

An uncomfortable silence then passed where neither one of the three knew exactly how to fill the void. Sally, though she'd never admit it out loud, sort of wanted to be left alone with Jack, Ziggy was disappointed that her rant had been cut short, and no one could really tell what Jack's intention for coming over was. It apparently had nothing to do with the mummy, and Ziggy soon caught onto this.

"Well, I guess I better skedaddle and give you two sometime alone." She winked, none too subtly.

"'Kay, bye!" Sally responded pleasantly before shooting her roommate a quick glare. Ziggy simply laughed as she walked away.

She then very willingly turned her attentions to Jack.

"So, what brings you to this side of the ballroom? And where's Tivona?"

He did a once-over of the room before turning back with an answer.

"To be honest, I don't really know- where she is, I mean. I left her for a moment and now I can't seem to locate her."

Sally noticed that Jack was noticeably more fidgety than he had been all night. She had seen him nervous and she had seen him excited, but never once at the same time- until right now, of course.

"Jack, are you okay?" she asked with concern, gently touching his arm.

"Oh, yeah, I'm fine. I'm definitely okay."

Were Jack able to sweat, Sally knew he'd be producing buckets right now.

"Really?" she challenged, unconvinced. "Because I've never see you like this. You can tell me what's going on, you know. I _am _your best friend."

He momentarily paused his restless movements to smile at her warmly.

"Let's dance. It's probably the only thing that will calm me down right now."

This was definitely more of a statement than a request and Sally knew it. But it was not as if she would have refused in any case.

After she nodded in concession, he didn't even bother to lead her out. Instead, his hand was immediately at her waist and his opposite, instantly clutching her own. The faster part of Strauss' Emperor Waltz had already begun, and so he rapidly swung her out into the foray and the two of them attempted to maintain synchronization with the other couples.

"Oh my," he said suddenly over the sound of the orchestra. "I forgot to ask Victor if it was okay to take his partner. You don't think he'll mind, do you?"

Sally shook her head.

"I shouldn't think so. He's over by the punchbowl talking to that young lady, so I'd say he's sufficiently occupied."

Jack looked over to get a glimpse of Victor holding a conversation with a young, Italian-looking vampire woman. Despite her good looks, she still seemed to have an aura about her that suggested lunacy. Knowing how uncomfortable Victor often was around unstable individuals, as well as his inability to extract himself from any situation, Jack began to mull over whether or not he should make a rescue attempt. It seemed as though they were enjoying themselves for the most part, but it was rather difficult to tell for sure from this far away.

"Jack," Sally spoke suddenly, breaking him from his reverie. "I really wish you'd tell me what's going on."

He looked down at her expectant smile and couldn't help but reciprocate it. With a resigning sigh, he began his explanation.

"Look, I…I'm planning to do something…a bit drastic tonight, and it's making me…a little nervous."

She raised an eyebrow and titled her head to the side.

"The only reason I'm asking is because you've never been so reticent before."

He released her waist for a moment to twirl her out into the open position, in harmony with the rest of the couples who were currently doing the same.

"It's going to be a complete surprise."

He then led her back into the former stance and the two continued traipsing.

"I haven't told anyone yet, not even Victor."

This didn't comfort Sally in the least. If anything, her worry about what her friend had in store increased tenfold.

"You know," she began carefully. "I've gotten really enthusiastic about things before, too. Sometimes, though, I like to run it by at least one other person I trust, just to see if it's a good idea. I do this _especially _when the thing I'm excited about makes me nervous or has a chance of ending badly."

Jack laughed heartily.

"No, no, no. I don't think that will be necessary. It would ruin the surprise, and besides, I feel totally confident about this. No doubt it my mind, this _will _go over well."

Sally remained completely unconvinced.

* * *

Victor was at the punchbowl for the second time that evening.

He'd had a marvelous time waltzing with Sally, but when the two stopped to catch their breath and Ziggy Neferet came clacking over in her 12 inch heels, Victor immediately conjured up an excuse to leave. He had found that if he excused himself from a dangerous situation before anyone else could say a word, he could successfully escape without coming off as rude. Even so, there wasn't a whole lot he wouldn't have done to have avoided being the recipient of Ziggy's endless train of blabber.

He claimed to have gone off to fetch something for himself and Sally to drink, but when he caught a glimpse of her commencing a dance with Jack, he figured she wouldn't be anticipating his return anytime soon. For this reason, he chose to stay near the table and wait for the song to finish.

But it wasn't long before he was joined at the location by a young vampire woman. She had an odd way of filling her small glass and then drinking from it; there was a sense of guilt and anxiousness, not unlike a raccoon digging through garbage.

Nevertheless, Victor was bored, and she appeared to be the only one nearby who wasn't either dancing, completely crocked, or passed out in a heap on the floor.

"Hello," he greeted her with a friendly smile.

She looked at him with wide, dark brown eyes and momentarily froze in place. Now, it was more like the homeowners had come out and shone a flashlight on the trash pile.

"Lovely party, isn't it?" he continued, overlooking that fact that she hadn't reciprocated his greeting. "You know, my friend headed up all of this in two weeks time. _Two weeks_. Can you believe that? I'm telling you, she really worked herself into a tizzy."

The woman continued to stay silent and stare blankly at him. He decided to shift closer to her in case she wasn't hearing him distinctly.

"I'm Victor, by the way." He put out his hand for her to shake. "Victor VanDort."

"Wait- shut up. Don't tell me anything else."

She pushed his outstretched hand to the side and pressed both of her palms to either side of his face. Victor was too flabbergasted to do anything more than stand stone still.

It was then that she closed her eyes and began chanting softly under her breath. When he attempted to ask her what in the blazes she was trying to do, she cut him off with sharp 'ssshh!'.

"Hmm…interesting. Yes…hmm…_that _makes sense…"

Her incantations and murmurs went on for just a little while longer before she finally allowed his head to go free.

"Umm…" Victor struggled to find words and promptly construct them into coherent sentences. "What…in the world was that?"

She took a sip of her punch.

"Oh, I'm a mind reader. It's my vampiric power, you see. I'd much rather read someone's inner thoughts than have them lie to me."

"I wasn't going to lie to you," he said incredulously. "I fancy myself a rather trustworthy person…"

She chuckled slightly. "How am I supposed to believe you, Victor? We just met."

Now completely bereft of any word-retrieval skills, he stood still and moved his mouth silently like a dying fish.

The young woman suddenly laughed exuberantly, throwing her head back and causing her long, black locks to cascade even further down her back.

"Hey, I'm just kidding! Really, Victor, you're too gullible."

"So…you can't read minds?"

"Of course not! _Vampiric power…_what is this, a teen fantasy romance novel? By the way, I'm Seraphina Belvoir."

He considered pushing her now-extended hand to the side much in the same way she did to his, but Victor knew he was too polite to pull something like that off successfully.

"I-I-I-t's a pleasure to meet you, M-M-M-miss Belvoir."

Seraphina's attention abruptly shifted from their conversation to the dance floor. Victor began to get the feeling that she may have suffered from ADD, among many other things.

"Look at him out there," she spat. "…dancing with whoever _that_ hussy is. He's a dirty, no good philanderer, is what HE is…"

"Umm…who are we talking about?"

She pointed dramatically towards the tall, black-haired vampire dressed as Don Juan. Victor then saw that said hussy was, in fact, Tivona, and he did not feel too terribly opposed to labeling her as such.

"My father, Septimus Belvoir! He's been eying the room all night for some young thing to pick off of. My poor mother is on the verge of a rage stroke."

"Well, he has no reason to prey on her. As delivery man for the blood bank, I see to it that your clan gets a sufficient allotment of blood on a daily basis. Besides, both Jack and the Mayor have made it quite clear that biting other citizens is strictly-"

Cutting him off at that moment was the unexpected arrival of a frazzled-looking, middle-aged vampire woman who appeared to be even more Italian and, possibly, even more demented than the woman Victor was currently talking to.

"Seraphina!" she howled, barreling through the couples that blocked her path. "Seraphina! Do you see 'im? Do you see what that no good carogna 'is doing now?"

Seraphina took the woman into her arms and began encouraging her to quiet down.

"Yes, mamma. Come, let's forget about papa's womanzing ways and have some more drinks. What do you say?"

She then turned to Victor and mouthed 'It's my mother', as well as, 'Alcohol numbs the pain'.

As the two of them hobbled away, Victor refocused his attention on Septimus and Tivona. Seraphina's mother, as loony as she may have been, had made him begin to suspect that her husband desired a bit more from Miss O'Dwyer than that which coursed through her veins.

* * *

When The Emperor Waltz came to a grand finish, Jack almost immediately detached himself from Sally's side.

"Jack, wait," she pleaded, attempting to get a grip on his arm. "Whatever you're planning to do, please, _please, _don't."

He apparently hadn't heard her, or simply had chosen not to, as instead of acknowledge this warning he placed a quick peck on her check and asked her to wish him good luck.

"Wha- no, _why_ you need luck?"

But Jack had already been swallowed up by the crowd in his trek to reach the stage. Now, all Sally could do was fold her arms over her chest and nervously watch the scene transpire.

"Attention, everyone!" Jack's amplified voice boomed as soon as he had climbed up on the stage. At the sound of their King, the crowd ceased whatever they were doing and turned to give him their full attention. Even some of the passed-out guests miraculously regained consciousness.

"As you may know, dear citizens, Miss Tivona O'Dwyer is the lovely young woman who has accompanied me to the ball this evening. Over the course of our, admittedly, very brief relationship, I have grown _quite_ fond of her. It would, quite literally, be impossible to mention all of things I love about this woman or what makes her so wonderful all in one night, so I have decided on an alternative method of conveying my affection. Tivona, my darling, would you join me on stage?"

There was much bustle and whispering as the crowd waited for Tivona to make her way forwards. Sally, meanwhile, was growing more tense by the minute and wondering if she should vacate the premises before what she suspected would happen, _would _happen. But there was an over-powering force within her that didn't seem to want to budge from the spot. Said force apparently wanted to witness and digest every second of this dreaded moment and there was nothing Sally could do to prevent it.

_Maybe he's just going to serenade her, _she thought to herself. _Yes, of course…its just a song, I'm sure…just one song…_

Eventually, the expected woman joined Jack on stage and she was met with a seemingly unnecessary round of applause. It was no doubt because Jack had encouraged them all to do so with hand gestures, but it didn't make it any less disgusting- for Sally, anyway.

_Anyone can walk onto a stage…_she mentally grumbled.

The Skeleton King then motioned for silence and proceeded to take both of Tivona's hands into his own.

"_Ko'u Aloha, _you and I have shared so much in this short amount of time spent together. I sometimes feel that I have known you my whole afterlife. Perhaps, you and I are connected souls that continuously meet in other dimensions and existences and this is simply just another one of those occasions. Whatever the case may be, I have no doubt in my mind that you are my soul mate, my _ku'uipo_, and that we were meant to be together for all of eternity."

Jack then knelt down on one knee, and Sally continued to cling to the sparse hope that he was just going to sing.

"And so," he continued, releasing one of Tivona's hands to pull something from his pocket. "I ask you this question tonight in front of all our friends and in such a beautiful ballroom with the hope that you will stay by my side for the rest forever."

When a small, black velvet box suddenly appeared in his hand, all hopes for a serenade were instantly dashed. He quickly flipped it open to reveal- mainly to Tivona- a sparkling, silver ring with a large black diamond in the center.

"Tivona O'Dwyer…will you do me the honor of becoming my wife and Queen?"

The silence of the hall was soon pierced by her jubilant screech of "OHMYGOD, YESSSS!" and immediately after her deafening scream subsided she fainted onto the hardwood of the stage with a reverberating _thump._

Jack, accompanied by some of the servants who happened to be behind the curtain, instantly rushed to her side and made efforts to help her regain consciousness. The crowd, which was growing steadily louder, began to migrate towards the stage to get a better look at the scene. Sally used the commotion as a deterrent for escape and quickly slipped out the back door.

* * *

Dr. Finkelstein was not a fan of such dramatic displays, nor staying out ridiculously late. If it were up to him, he would have been at home two hours ago, reading a science journal and enjoying a glass of wine before turning in. It was Ruby who had insisted they stay longer, and Ruby again who had demanded they see Jack propose to his girlfriend, whatshername (Ruby knew what it was, but he sure didn't).

Not long ago, he had wheeled himself out of the ballroom so as to not be there anymore, and now awaited Ruby near their carriage. He was eager to get home and she, apparently, was eager to see what had happened with whatshername. He found himself hoping the broad would come to her senses soon- the sooner she did, the sooner he and his wife could skedaddle.

But as he waited, he slowly got the impression that he was hearing faint sobbing coming from behind the building. For a while he was able to ignore it, but because he couldn't seem to stop fixating on it, the soft sound only irritated him further.

"Oh, be quiet, won't you?" he finally shouted. Unfortunately, the producer of the noise either didn't hear him or had chosen not to.

"Stop it, I said! Don't make me come back there!"

When the sound only continued without any variance in volume, the Doctor decided he'd have to show the crybaby that he was serious. He may have been wheelchair-bound, but he was still not one to be messed with.

Grumbling under his breath, he wheeled around the shadow alleyway behind the ballroom.

"You there!"

The sobbing individual- who from the Doctor's point of view looked like nothing more than a hunched over, noisy black blob- momentarily quieted and seemed to turn to look at him.

"Yes, you! I've asked you repeatedly to silence your insufferable noise-making. Either kindly do so or go somewhere else! I assure you that no one present wants to endure the pathetic sound of misery, much less ME!"

With a huff, he rotated to head back to his prior spot. Before he could leave completely, however, the blob called out to him in an oddly familiar voice.

"Doctor?"

He turned his head slightly.

"_Sally?_ Is that you?"

She then stepped out of the alley and into the silver light of the moon to affirm her identity to the nearly-blind scientist. Of course, he still had to squint his eyes and adjust his glasses.

"What in the world are you doing back there? Shouldn't you be back in the ballroom with your friends, drinking and dancing until well after 6 am? Isn't that what you young folks do?"

She nodded mindlessly, her mind being miles away from the current situation. "I suppose so."

"Jack just got engaged you know," he mentioned. "I don't particularly care, but it seems like since you and he are such close friends, you should be in there congratulating him. I daresay he expects you to."

She exhaled loudly, crossed her arms over her chest and turned her back to him.

"Please don't remind me."

He chuckled slightly and took a moment to clean his glasses.

"Yes, I thought it was quite disgusting, too. But that's just his way- melodramatic and sickeningly sentimental. He's also never been one for subtleties."

Sally didn't say anything, and instead collapsed into a lean on the nearest wall and covered her face in an attempt to stifle another influx of tears.

The Doctor stopped polishing his glasses and surveyed her quizzically.

"My goodness, girl, _why_ in the blazes are you crying so much? In all the time you lived with me, I've never seen you act so ridiculous!"

"_Please_, just stop!" she yelled pleadingly. "If I bother you so much, then just _go_! I didn't ask you to come over here…"

"Well, I just don't see the harm in simply telling me what's bothering you. Certainly you know…or do you? Is this a side-effect of some narcotic they were no doubt passing around inside?"

"_No! _And it's none of your business!"

"Is it because you have feelings for Jack?"

Sally's eyes shot up from her palms to stare daggers at the Doctor.

"I suppose you think it's terribly funny," she sniffed, significantly quieter than before. "I suppose you're going to take this opportunity to say 'I told you so, you wretched girl, the outside world is cruel and unforgiving'. There, I said it for you, so now you don't have to!"

She promptly stood up and straightened out the fabric of her costume. Then, clutching the strap of her purse tightly, she continued her tirade.

"Look, I admit it, alright? I'm a horrible, mutated mistake- you knew that, and for whatever crazy reason, I refused to believe you. But now, I-I get it. Perhaps if I had been made perfectly, the way you wanted, Jack would have returned my affections but…but he doesn't….he _doesn't _and it just…it hurts, okay?"

It wasn't long before she had collapsed again from a wave of sobs. She now sat against the brick wall, knees to her chest, her purse laying splayed and forgotten beside her. Her forehead rested against her tightly held fist.

The Doctor gave it a minute or two before speaking again.

"Sally, you may been…not what I expected…" he admitted with a sigh. "And, yes, perhaps I _have_ referred to you as a mistake now and then…but the truth of the matter is, I had every intention of making you. It wasn't as if you just formed out of thin air. You see, every part of you is something I did _deliberately. _I wanted an intelligent, kind, charming, and pretty assistant and you were all of that. The only thing I didn't count on was your annoyingly overwhelming sense of individuality and need for independence."

Her cries began to slow, but the Doctor knew he had quite a bit of mawkishness left to go before this situation was completely rectified.

"And since I'm being honest," he continued reluctantly. "I'll admit that there are times I see you now that you're on your own, I see how far you've gone and how much you've accomplished as your own entity and I feel…very proud to call you my creation."

Her head shot up to stare at him in disbelief. It was the single kindest thing he had ever said to her, ever, and neither he nor Sally could really accept as truth that he had just done it.

"Jack is unfortunate to not see your merit and I do believe that he will be missing out on a good opportunity. But you simply can't sit here and let his foolishness turn you into a watery pile of mush. You're my creation, Sally, and _you can do better_."

She was still frozen in place, gazing at him skeptically with puffy, blood-red eyes. He wheeled the few inches required to be closer to her and extended one rather short arm. She gradually accepted and he did the most he could to help her to her feet. Sally and the brick wall provided any supplemental support.

"Now, get back in there, get soused, and have some fun. You're a young woman for petessake, not a grumpy old man like me- who should have been in bed _two and a half _hours ago, I might add!"

Sally managed a warm smile through her residual tears and obliged him with a kiss of gratitude on the top of his metallic head.

"Ugh, really, Sally!" he exclaimed, wiping the crown of his skull. "I show you an ounce of kindness and what do you do? You douse me in twenty pounds of metaphorical sugar! Never again, do you hear me?"

"Thank you, Doctor," she replied, now a bit amused. "I never knew you could be so sweet."

He scoffed loudly and quickly sped away from the rag doll before she could extend another sickening gesture of affection.

"Never again!" he cried over his shoulder before disappearing around the corner.

* * *

**A/N- **I'd say this gets a 6.5-7, somewhere around there. What do you think, guys?


	11. Chapter 9 Be Not Proud

**A/N- **This is definitely one of the shorter chapters. I meant to add on a bit more, but I was getting a little bogged down with the 'extra' scenes, so I just snipped them and left this as is. I figured I should try to get something churned out before December madness crashes down with full force (I'm sure you all know what I'm talking about. On top of impending finals and holiday-crap, Professors are also squeezing in as much last minute, major-grade stuff that they can before the quarter's over). So, all-in-all, I may not have time to update again before Christmas, though I'll definitely give it my best shot. The problem is, the plot and sequence of events for the next few chapters really needs to be organized, which I'm hoping won't take too long, but who knows?

But as short as this chapter is, some crazy-important stuff happens that will have a pretty influential bearing on the plot. I know I also said that we'd learn a bit more about our new OC's in this chapter but, alas, I had not the time or inspiration. The next one, I believe, will definitely feature them.

OH, and, there's a little treat in here for fans of **Terry Pratchett **and **Discworld. **Perhaps its because I've been watching/reading The Hogfather, but I simply couldn't resist including these specific characters. If you don't recognize them, just do a little Google research and I'm sure it will enlighten you. For the rest, consider this a bit of an inside joke. =D

**Disclaimer- **Fortunately, for the sake of humanity, TNBC does not belong to me, nor does any of the other copyrighted characters that appear here.

* * *

The Skeleton King whistled a pleasant tune as he zipped around his room, half-mindedly grabbing things from drawers and throwing them into the open suitcase on his bed.

He had ample reason to be in especially good spirits, he felt. Things had simply been going entirely his way for the past few weeks. Tivona had accepted his marriage proposal, their date had been set for Halloween night, and Mister Claws had decided to overlook the events of last Christmas and allow Jack to purchase some property there in the Mistletoe Mountains.

It was for this last reason that he was currently packing. His wedding gift for his wife-to-be would be a cozy, luxurious chalet near Christmas Town, and he knew he would need a few days to pick the perfect one. There was also the matter of making amends complete with Sandy. Perhaps, he thought, he could take him out for dinner and a hot chocolate while he was town. Certainly that would help clear the air a bit, or so he hoped.

Jack was in such a fine mood, he was able to entirely block out Zero's woeful, crestfallen stare from where he lay at the end of the mattress. He had to admit that his companion's behavior of late had been strange and somewhat out of character and he couldn't quite put a bony finger on what the cause might have been. Nothing had really changed around the Skellington estate, aside from the addition of Tivona, of course, but Jack found it difficult to grasp why anyone would find her unpleasant. Really, how could they? She certainly was the most wonderful thing that had ever happened to him. Sally's opinion, however, didn't quite count in this case, as she had made it clear she didn't know Tivona well. Jack had high hopes that as soon as Sally and his fiancée became better acquainted, they would get along famously.

But animals were different. It is common knowledge that animals, particularly dogs, are equipped with acute sensitivities towards the nature of others. Therefore, Jack reasoned, Tivona simply couldn't be the cause of Zero's usual behavior. He would have been able to see right away what an absolutely marvelous woman she was. That didn't quite explain his growling upon her first arrival, but he was sure that was brought on by something else. Again, animals are very perceptive to just about everything non-animals can't see. Who knows what Zero sensed at that moment that no one else in the room could?

"Cheer up, boy," Jack encouraged, petting his head briefly before re-focusing on packing. "There's nothing to be upset about. Everything's going swimmingly for us, right?"

Zero simply groaned and averted his head. Jack shrugged.

"I simply can't understand what's gotten into you…"

There was a sudden knock at his door, and Jack recognized it as the familiar rhythmic pattern of Sally's. It was odd, he thought, how accustom one could become to the idiosyncrasies of an individual they spent a lot of time with.

"Come in!" He beckoned.

The large door opened gradually with an audible creak. Jack continued to glide around from drawer, closet, to suitcase, not bothering to look up. As he expected, it was Sally's voice that proceeded to speak.

"Jack, I hope I'm not-" she paused, surveying his current activity. "Wh- what…are you doing?"

Jack suddenly stood straight up and pressed two fingers to his mouth in request that his friend keep silent.

"I'll tell you in a second," he whispered, walking briskly to the door with the intent of shutting it. As soon as he had peeked around the frame, however, he saw that Victor was standing patiently just outside.

"Victor? What're you doing here?"

Victor looked up from dusting off his waistcoat. "Oh, Jack! I…had thought Sally would-"

"I invited him, Jack," Sally explained from her place within the room. "We both would like to have a word with you."

A bit bewildered, Jack ushered his half-vampire friend inside and carefully closed the door behind him.

Sally nodded her head towards a group of empty chairs. "Perhaps we should sit. This could take some time."

"Go ahead, both of you," Jack obliged. "I mustn't, however. I'm leaving today and I've got to be packed by noon."

"May I ask where you're off to?" Victor inquired, helping himself to a seat.

"Or when you were planning to tell your assistant you were leaving?" Sally added.

Jack shrugged off their comments with a chuckle and began flattening the contents of his suitcase into the bottom, hoping everything would fit.

"There's no need to be like that, you two. I'm simply heading off to Christmas Town for a couple of days. I figured it was time I paid ol' Mr. Claws a visit, maybe take him out for an evening. It's really the least I can do after….well, everything else. I'm also going to be looking for a mountain chalet for Tivona and I to spend our honeymoon in."

A moment of silence then ensued, and because Jack had his back to the both of them, he didn't see Victor and Sally look at one another expectantly. He also didn't see Sally mouth to Victor a reminder that they had agreed _he_ would do it and his subsequent, relenting eye-roll.

Victor cleared his throat in preparation and shifted a bit in his chair.

"Jack, Sally and I are dear friends of yours -as you well know, of course- and we care a great deal about your welfare. For this reason, we thought it was important that we address a specific issue with you that has us more than a bit concerned. We also very much hope you won't take this little intervention of ours personally…"

Jack, meanwhile, struggled to close and latch the stuffed suitcase.

"I'm sure I won't," he grunted.

Victor once more looked pleadingly at Sally, but she simply gestured for him to continue.

"Well, that's good to hear, I must say," he admitted. "You see, Jack…this…our concern, specifically, has to do with…well…uhm….you see, it has to do with…your engagement."

"Does it?"

"Yes…uhm…you see, we feel- that is, Sally and I….we feel that this engagement was…well…it was all a bit…uhm…_expeditious_?"

Jack nodded as he finally got the suitcase to more-or-less close and latch. "Yes, yes, I realize that. I _did _address it in my proposal speech, you know."

"Of course you did, yes."

When Victor didn't continue onward with the effort, Sally had to step in.

"Jack, look," she began with a sigh. "Victor and I both feel that this engagement was done in extreme haste. Frankly, it worries us how soon you both have gone ahead with this and how briefly you and Tivona have known each other, much less been in a relationship. We just don't think you've thought this out as much as you probably should have."

Jack chuckled again, though there was an unmistakable hint of defensiveness to its tone.

"Well, this certainly is odd! I feel as though I'm being confronted by my parents. Hmm...I wonder why?"

"T-t-hat isn't really fair, Jack," Victor interjected.

Sally nodded. "We're only voicing our concern. The least you could do is not be sarcastic."

Jack chose that moment to finally turn around and face his friends. His air of amused defense continued to linger.

"Really, _what_ has gotten into all of you?"

He turned to glance at Zero, and then back to Victor and Sally.

"I mean it, _all _of you! Even Zero's been dragging himself around, lately. I just thought you all would be happy for me. If either one of you were to get engaged, don't you think I'd congratulate you?"

When there was no response, Jack pulled up a chair and sat directly across from both of them, looking them dead in the eyes.

"Like I've said countless times before," he continued. "I realize that I'm an impulsive, impassioned skeleton and it makes you both a little uncomfortable. Fair enough, neither of you need to approve of my actions. What I'd appreciate, however, is if both of you could just trust me to know what's right for _me_. Yes, Tivona and I have only been together for a few weeks-"

"Two." Sally specified.

"Yes, two. But nonetheless, I love her and she loves me. Isn't that what matters?"

The half-vampire and the ragdoll were quiet again as they looked at each other sheepishly. Knowing he was winning the argument, Jack leaned in closer, a sly grin on his face.

"I also wanted to tell you," he whispered. "Tivona and I would like to invite you both to be in the wedding party. Victor, would you mind serving as my Best Man?"

Victor's large round eyes lit up. "Me? Your Best Man? Oh, Jack, that's so very kind of you!

There's nothing I'd love more!"

Sally seemed more than a bit disappointed as Jack focused on her.

"Sally, I'm not actually supposed to tell you this, but Tivona is planning on asking you to be her Maid Of Honor. Would you be willing?"

She winced slightly and avoided eye contact. "Uhm…I don't know…it sounds like a lot of responsibility-"

"Well, no matter! You'll probably have made a decision by the time she asks you, anyhow! I just couldn't resist telling you."

With that, Jack stood and gathered up his hefty suitcase.

"Alright then, I best be off. Care to walk me outside to the carriage?"

Victor and Sally indulged him in this rather simple offer, though not without a shared knowledge of their recent failure. They both shared a glance as they followed Jack out of the room, as disappointed with one another as they were with themselves.

The clacking of Tivona's heels could be heard on the staircase long before she joined them in the lobby. When she finally arrived, she ignored both Victor and Sally completely and ran to the Skeleton King's side.

"Are you sure you have to go?" she pouted, turning out her lower lip. "I'll be so wonwey, Jackie-poo!"

He lovingly caressed her voluminous, golden-blonde hair and assured her she would be happy he did. His entourage then followed him out the large front doors, watched him descend the stairs and pile into the skeleton-horse drawn carriage, and waved to him as he was whisked away down the cobblestone path.

As far as Tivona was concerned, Victor and Sally might as well have been invisible or not there at all, as she proceeded to meander back in the house without so much as a momentary glance in their direction. This didn't surprise either one of them and nor did they mind her thoughtlessness very much.

"Well, I suppose I better get back to the bank," Victor said to Sally after a time. "I'm sorry this didn't go over more smoothly…I just was so excited to be assigned as Best Man that I-"

"It's okay, really," she assured, patting his shoulder. "We did our best. I didn't really expect him to listen to us, anyway."

He nodded, wished her adieu once more, and began his descent down the front steps. She, however, had barely stepped foot into the lobby when she heard his voice call her name. She turned, wondering what could be the matter.

"I-I-I actually was…uhm…" Victor coughed a few times and nervously straightened his tie before attempting to finish his thought. "I was…well, that is, uhm…I was wondering w-w-what you might be…uhm…doing after work?"

She shrugged. "Nothing, as usual. I should be off pretty early tonight since Jack isn't here. Did you want to get some drinks or something?"

He almost nodded and smiled in concession before stopping himself. "_No…_no. I don't want to do that. I'd rather take you out to dinner."

"Oh…uhm, okay, sure."

"I'd like to take out to dinner…on a date."

Sally's eyes widened. "You…want to go on a…_date_ date?"

"Yes." He answered firmly.

She paused and attempted to find the right words. She couldn't control the involuntary fidgeting of her fingers to the hem of her cardigan.

"You know, Victor…I…" she wet her lips. "I'm going to have to think about that date before I can give you an answer."

He dipped his head to her in understanding. "Alright then, I'll…uhm…well, you know how to reach me."

He then promptly exited the scene before the awkwardness could saturate them any further. She, also, retreated back into the lobby, equipped with plenty to think about while she procrastinated her work.

* * *

On her return from Gloria's (a wedding dress appointment, in fact), Tivona had asked the carriage driver to pull over at the cemetery. This he did, and she assured him she'd only be a minute or two.

Really, she just wanted some time to let the realization of her victory wash over her, so she sat beneath a nearby tree and relaxed her head against the trunk. The driver and his horses, meanwhile, waited patiently – the driver, with a copy of Halloween Town Monthly.

Tivona looked out over the expanse of tombstones and the spiral hill that towered over all of them, knowing that by Halloween, this would all be hers. True, it wasn't much, nor was it a pleasant sight. She had never been that into Halloween as a holiday, either (oh, sure, she'd dressed sluttier than normal and gotten wasted the night of, but so did most young women her age). But nevertheless, it was a lot more to call her own than a crumby, studio apartment in Midtown. That was also not to mention the vast amounts of wealth she'd be sharing with her husband-to-be. She couldn't complain, really. She'd always wanted to be ridiculously wealthy, but she would have never dreamed in a million years that she'd get a chance to be a _Queen. _She then wondered if this could, in fact, be a dream. It certainly felt real, but who could say for sure?

TIVONA O'DWYER?

The sudden presence of the deep, hollow, resonating voice made her nearly jump out of her skin. Because it had erupted from behind her, she quickly leapt up from her sitting position and turned sharply to see who had created it.

I SEEM TO HAVE STARTLED YOU. I'M VERY SORRY, THAT'S TERRIBLY RUDE OF ME.

Standing there, partly shrouded in the darkness of the forest, was a cloaked skeleton wielding a very large and very ill-nerving scythe. Had Tivona been more familiar with personifications of Death, she might have recognized him right away. Instead, she wracked her brain trying to decide where she had met this probable citizen of Halloween Town before. Finally, an explanation occurred to her.

"Oh…you must be one of Jack's relatives!"

It made sense, after all. Jack was a skeleton and so was this gentleman.

"Have you come to wish us congratulations?"

The skeleton paused a moment. He might have been confused, but because he was unable to make expressions like Jack, Tivona couldn't really tell.

NO, I'M SORRY, I BELIEVE YOU ARE CONFUSED. I AM WHAT YOU UNDERSTAND TO BE DEATH AND I'VE COME TO COLLECT YOU, TIVONA O'DWYER.

"Tivona O'Dwyer?" she laughed nervously, starting to back away slowly. "No, that's not me. I've never even heard of her. I think you've made some mistake-"

I DON'T BELIEVE SO, I SELDOM MAKE MISTAKES. NOW, YOU MUST COME. IT IS YOUR TIME.

"My time?" she gasped. "My time to _die_? How? I feel fine! I look great, see!"

OF COURSE YOU DO, YOU'RE A SPIRIT.

"Uhh…come again?"

YOU ARE THE SPIRIT OF TIVONA O'DWYER. THE BODY OF TIVONA O'DWYER IS CURRENTLY IN A COMA, DYING FROM A GUNSHOT WOUND IN ST. JOSEPH'S HOSPITAL.

She suddenly lost the stability in her legs and fell backward, onto her rear-end. She didn't seem to take much notice of this, however, as her face was currently frozen in shock.

I'M SORRY, DO YOU NEED SOME HELP?

"That morning on the streets…" she muttered, trying to put the pieces together. "I suddenly didn't feel tired anymore as I was running…I thought maybe it was just the adrenaline…but I-I-that is my body- had been shot!"

YES. Death nodded. AND NOW YOU ARE DYING AND IT IS YOUR TIME TO ACCOMPANY ME.

She continued to ignore him. "That's why I was able to come here! I'm not a mortal, I'm a spirit!"

TECHNICALLY, YOU ARE STILL A MORTAL, THOUGH ONLY HARDLY SO. YOU ARE A LIVING SPIRIT, BUT SOON YOU WILL BE A DEAD SPIRIT AND WILL NO LONGER BE ABLE TO REMAIN HERE. THEREFORE, YOU MUST COME WITH ME.

Regaining her senses, Tivona jumped back onto her feet.

"No…no! I can't leave here! There- there are things I need to do. The citizens here expect me-"

IF IT MEANS THAT MUCH TO YOU, YOU CAN APPEAL TO YOUR CASEWORKER ONCE YOU HAVE PASSED THROUGH. THEY MAY BE ABLE TO RELOCATE YOU HERE, IF THEY FEEL YOU ARE ELIGIBLE FOR SUCH PLACEMENT.

She crossed her arms over her chest. "And what if I'm not?"

THAT ISN'T REALLY ANY OF MY CONCERN, I'M AFRAID. I AM RESPONSIBLE FOR COLLECTING YOU AND HELPING YOU OVER, AND THAT'S THE END OF IT.

Though she may not have been familiar with Death or its personification, she figured that a good, refusing pout ought to do the trick. There was no force in the universe that could withstand a nasally, stubborn whine. Therefore, she sat herself back down on the ground, kept her arms crossed tight across her chest, and stuck out her bottom lip.

"I'm simply _not _going, and that's that!"

OH, REALLY NOW, YOU MUSTN'T BE SO-

"_Not _going!"

IT REALLY ISN'T ANYTHING TO BE AFRAID OF-

"No, no, no, no, no!"

MISS O'DWYER, I DO WISH YOU'D ACT YOUR-

"I won't, I won't, I won't, I _won't_! You can't make me!"

Death now began to shift uncomfortably on his bony feet, seemingly more bewildered than frustrated.

"Yeh' could check the rules again, master," said a scraggly, East-End British accent that apparently belonged to the short old man who had just emerged from the woods. He was currently fumbling with a rolled cigarette that seemed to have his all of his attention. "Yeh' jus' might find somethin' or other in there to help out the lil' lady."

OH VERY WELL, Death conceded. I REALLY CAN'T SPEND ANY MORE TIME HERE, ANYWAY.

He then pulled a large scroll from his robes, unraveled it until it pooled at his feet, and began searching through the text for something of relevance. As he did this, the short old man wiggled his fingers at Tivona.

"Hey there," he grinned. "Name's Albert. I'm 'is assistant, yeh see."

She replied with a wan, unfeeling smile.

AH, HERE'S SOMETHING. WHAT DO YOU THINK, ALBERT?

The old man had to stand on his tiptoes to see what Death was referring to on the scroll.

"That should do the trick, master! Assumin', of course, that our lil' lady friend got here _entirely _by accident…"

The two turned to her, expectantly.

"Of course I got here by accident!" she exclaimed. "I didn't even know this place existed!"

ARE YOU POSITIVE?

"You weren't even thinkin' of Halloween at the time? Not even a lil' bit?"

She sighed and shook her head. "No, no, no."

WELL, THAT'S CERTAINLY GOOD NEWS FOR YOU. SECTION 10,001 UNDER AFTERLIFE CASES STATES THAT SHOULD A SOUL FALL INTO AN UNDEAD OR FANTASY WORLD THROUGH THE FAULT OF THE FATES AND NONE OF HER OWN, SAID SOUL IS ENTITLED TO REMAIN IN SAID FANTASY WORLD FOR NO LONGER THAN A MONTH'S TIME, DURING WHICH SHE MUST BECOME IMMORTAL OR UNDEAD SO AS TO QUALIFY AS A RESIDENT. IF SHE DOES NOT, SHE MAY BE TAKEN BY DEATH TO THE AFTERLIFE.

Albert chuckled and lit his cigarette. "So there yah have it. All you gots tah do is turn yerself immortal before the month's out. Shouldn't be too hard aroun' here."

"No, I suppose not…"

If her tone was at all noticeably unsure, it was because she had absolutely no idea how to turn herself immortal. It seemed as though it would be even more difficult as a spirit in limbo. Before she could ask either Albert or Death about it, however, they had disappeared completely. Oddly enough, it felt strange that they hadn't even said 'goodbye'.

She decided then that her answers might be found somewhere in Jack's extensive library, so she picked herself up, dusted her dress off, and walked back to the carriage.

"Did you see that?" she asked the Driver, referring to Death and Albert.

The small skeleton looked up from The Halloween Town Monthly and asked in his Mancunian accent,

"See what, then?"

"Death!" she nearly shrieked. "And his creepy helper! He was standing there with a robe and a huge scythe!"

"Who, his helper?"

Tivona grumbled loudly and proceeded to climb back into the bed of the carriage.

"Forget it. Nevermind." She sighed, folding her arms over her chest.

"Yeh do know, ma'm," he began, cracking the whip. "The undead and immortals usually can't see death. Awfully strange yeh could see 'im, ma'm."

She grit her teeth and stared fixedly to the side, hoping the driver wouldn't jump to any conclusions.

"I think I'm just tired. Take me home, immediately."

"Certainly, ma'm."


	12. Chapter 10 Dangerous Thoughts

_Chapter 10 - Dangerous Thoughts_

**A/N- **Hey all! Welcome to a surprisingly early Chapter 10! I truly, honestly didn't think I'd be churning this out until late December or January, but I'm glad my prediction was wrong. Also notice the chapter title at the top (take a look at it now if you haven't already ;D). I've been meaning to do this to all the chapters just because it looks a little 'prettier', for lack of a better adjective, but haven't because I'm both forgetful and lazy. Hopefully I'll keep this up from now on (and, if I'm feeling really ambitious, will go back and do it to all of the other chapters too). 

So, let's dive right in to some chapter notes, shall we? First of all, I wanted to say that I'm fairly pleased with this installment. I'd probably rate it around a 7.5 or an 8, accidental grammar and spelling mistakes notwithstanding. Just in terms of plot and characterization, I'd say that this chapter is fairly rich with juicy revelations and interesting twists. I think you guys will particularly enjoy this one (just based on the comments I've been receiving), or at least I sorely hope you will. I also think some of you will be even more pissed off at certain someone than you are now- but, like, in a _good_ way, so don't worry. *winky face*

That's about it, for now. Just don't forget to let me know what you think, and don't be afraid to get really long and detailed, either (the person with the longest review gets an imaginary Jack sticker! =D). I love hearing what you all have to say and I need to know what you all would like to see happen so I don't turn this story into a totally unsatisfying experience. Like Seraphina and unlike Edward Cullen, I can't read your minds!

**Disclaimer- **Not mine, aside from Septimus, Tivona, and Clarence.

* * *

The town was just as he had remembered, down to the last snow and tinsel-laden detail.

Well, aside from the fact that the town wasn't _as _snow-covered as usual, given that it was still fairly early in autumn. At this point, it was only a light, confectioner's-sugar-like dusting that decorated the cobble streets, roofs, and other open surfaces. There wasn't even enough yet to make a snowball, let alone a whole man.

But the cheery brightness remained in its full capacity, and that was truly what Jack had fallen in love with in the first place. He definitely wouldn't try to steal this scene again in an attempt to make it his own, but there was no reason he couldn't visit occasionally and pretend he was somehow part of it.

He'd certainly always be the Pumpkin King- the master of fright, the duke of screams, the baron of wails. But deep, deep down in his bones, he'd also eternally be the soft, childlike _Jack, _whose inner-self felt some kind of strange attachment to this holiday world. Maybe it was the juxtaposition to his own, or perhaps it was the warmth, or maybe it was simply the faint smell of gingerbread and pine that wafted through the air. He couldn't very well point out a specific reason, but he didn't need to justify his love of Christmas to himself or anyone else.

It simply existed, and that was enough for him.

He hadn't gotten much farther than the hill he'd landed on –which was much more uncomfortable this time around, what with the lack of snow to cushion his fall- when he was immediately greeted by a small, cherub-like elf (they don't really come in any other size though, do they?).

"Good afternoon, Mr. Skellington," the elf greeted with a bow. "My name is Clarence, and I will double as your guide _and _realtor for your stay here in Christmas town."

Jack was forced to squat to shake Clarence's tiny hand.

"I'm pleased to make your acquaintance, Mister Clarence!"

Clarence then turned towards a reindeer-pulled, beet-red sleigh that awaited them not that far away.

"If you'll follow me, Mr. Skellington, I'll lead you to our transportation. The sleigh will then take us to the inn where we've prepared a lovely room for you."

It was all Jack could do to keep from skipping his way over. He doubted it would seem very much out of place in Christmas Town, but he still desired to maintain a sense of dignity. As his fiancée was so keen to frequently remind him, he _was _a King.

Jack and Clarence then piled into the seats, and the elf got the reindeer moving before he spoke again.

"I should also let you know, your majesty, that Mr. Claus has received and heartily accepted your invitation for dinner this evening."

"Oh, splendid!"

Jack's enthusiastic arm movement nearly decked his guide straight in the head, but the elf ducked in time and didn't seem to mind the near-disaster at all.

"I also hope you will find your room suitable," Clarence continued. "We tried to make it as comfortable for you as possible."

Jack could only laugh, surprised that the Christmas Town residents would think of anything they made or prepared as _unsuitable _for him.

"Not to worry, Mister Clarence. I'm sure I will feel right at home!"

* * *

_I've got to remember that ladders and heels just don't go well together…_

Tivona thought this to herself as she balanced on top of what was, perhaps, the largest, most unstable ladder she had ever encountered. It was a necessary evil, as there was no way her 5 foot, 1 inch form was going to reach the tip-top of Jack's towering bookcase, even with four-inch stilettos on.

The ladder continued to wobble dangerously as she plowed through book after book about immortality. Frustratingly enough, none of them highlighted exactly how a soul in limbo was supposed to turn itself immortal. It didn't seem likely- to her, anyway- that rules for becoming immortal would be the same to a mortal body that it would to a mortal spirit (the rules of the former, most people were familiar with, thanks to fantasy movies and books). Therein lay her irritated confusion.

As she feverishly ripped through parchment, scanning each page as though she were inspecting for microscopic bacteria, Zero glared at her from the threshold to the study. He had been doing that pretty much ever since Jack had left, and Tivona long ago stopped paying attention to him. He would stalk around her all day, usually growling softly and eying her like a coiled panther might a helpless antelope.

"Well, I'm not a helpless antelope!" she announced to him once. "You can either become accustom to my being here, or you can find some other mansion to skulk around in. I _will _be Queen someday, you know!"

It didn't have a lasting effect, but it did remove him from Tivona's line of sight for a good half-hour. Truthfully, she didn't know exactly how to threaten a ghost dog aside from promising him that her power as Queen could remove him from the estate unless he changed his attitude. Zero didn't seem intimidated, however. He was annoyingly comfortable with Jack's affection for him and seemed to rely on said affection as assurance that Jack would never kick him out, no matter how much his wife campaigned otherwise.

But she knew she'd have the last laugh, when all was said and done. Tivona was the type of woman who always got what she wanted, no matter who would have to suffer along the way. As such, the battle between gold-digging fiancée and loyal spirit companion was far from over.

_And if Zero knows what's good for him, _she would think to herself. _He'd step down before things get too hairy. _

It was at that moment that Jack's doorbell rang. Had the doorbell been a simple chime or ring, as Tivona was used to in the living world, she might have just wobbled a bit on the ladder and quickly regained her balance. This bell, however, was the piercing sound of a woman's screech. Therefore, she was instantly scared senseless, lost her balance entirely, and came clattering down to the marble floor, ladder and books in tow.

Fortunately for her, she was a spirit, and as such did not experience a concussion or any broken bones. It still was a less than pleasurable experience.

The scream came wailing again, and so she dug herself out of the pile of dusty books that had rained down upon her and forced herself to her feet. While she regained her composure, she heard Zero's squeaky little mocking laugh. She was quick to instruct him to shut up.

With much of the same grace as a crippled goose, Tivona hobbled across the study, through the lobby, and to the heavy front doors. Normally, of course, she would have asked Sally to do this, but it was past 6 and she really didn't want to have the ragdoll there any longer than she needed to.

She then heaved open the doors with what strength remained.

Had she known that awaiting her on the other side would be the tall, dark and handsome vampire gentleman from the ball, she would have taken an _Ensnare. _Or at least smeared on some lipstick and eye shadow. Or run a comb through the rat's nest that was once her hair.

Meanwhile, he stood in the shadows of the autumn night, illuminated only by the glow of the moon. His hair, still as long and as raven-hued as before, was again pulled back low. This night, however, he was without the Don Juan mask and clothed entirely in black as a Victorian gentleman, complete with an unnecessary but unavoidably debonair cane.

"Good evening, Miss O'Dwyer," he greeted suavely, bowing slightly and extending a gloved hand to accept her own.

As tempting as it might have been to once more feel those lips on her knuckles, Tivona resisted. There was something a bit too-good-to-be-true about a handsome, rich-looking man randomly coming to steal her away into the night. That last part, of course, she somewhat assumed without due evidence, but nonetheless…

"What brings you here, Mister Belvoir?" she asked, as straightforward as possible. "At 10 o'clock in the evening…?

He stood straight and grinned slightly out of the corner of his mouth.

"It's _Lord_, actually," he corrected. "_Lord_ Septimus Belvoir. But I appreciate that you remember my name. Shall I interpret that as encouragement?"

She eyed him narrowly. "I wouldn't. But again, do tell me, _my lord, _why have you come here?"

"Oh, I _am _sorry, I thought that would be obvious. I've come to see you again."

He might have been painfully handsome, but he certainly wasn't subtle in his mocking sarcasm. Tivona found she didn't much appreciate it.

"Well, I don't think that's very appropriate, my lord. I don't know if you were paying attention at the ball, but I'm _engaged _now."

"And what makes you think I intend to pursue you romantically?"

"Why else would a gentleman come to call on a young woman?"

He inhaled deeply as he invited himself to step inside, proceeding to remove the glove of his left hand and display his occupied ring finger.

"Well, I, my dear girl, am married. Perhaps that will comfort you."

"Not remotely." She replied dryly.

He laughed in his throat and proceeded to remove his heavy wool cloak with a swish. The last glove came next, before he slung the cloak over his arm and strolled further into the lobby.

"Please, do come in…" she muttered, thinking he wouldn't catch it. His swift response confirmed that she had underestimated his hearing abilities.

"If you hadn't wanted me to stay, Miss O'Dwyer, you would have shut the door on me by now. I'd say the fact that you didn't is as good as an invitation."

She couldn't very well argue that point, and if she was truly honest with herself, she had never exactly wanted him to leave. After all, most women could only dream about having a man like Lord Belvoir voluntarily call on them like this. It was truly like something out of a paperback romance novel.

Furthermore, it wasn't entirely weird that he was visiting her so late in the evening. He _was_ a vampire- that is, if she was remembering the night before clearly. Assuming her memory _was_ working as it should, he couldn't have just strolled down the street in the middle of the sunny afternoon.

And as she studied him from her position at the door- noting how dashing he looked in his ebony waistcoat and trousers- she began to not care so much what his ulterior motive was in visiting her.

She then decided to shut the door. It was quite obvious to both parties that this man was here to stay.

"Well…I don't really see what I can do for you, Lord Belvoir. The King _is _out of town, you also realize…"

He half-way turned from staring at the roaring hearth to eye her provocatively.

"That I do, Miss O'Dwyer."

The sound of his voice sent shivers down her spine, and much like at the ball, she felt as though she might melt into a puddle of molten ectoplasm right there and then.

After a time, he motioned for her to have a seat in an armchair and he soon accepted one right across from hers'. Hesitantly, but not with a trace of reluctance, Tivona made her way to the living room and sat down in the offered seat.

"I do apologize for jesting a bit with you, Miss O'Dwyer," he grinned as he crossed one leg over the other. "You don't seem the type to joke."

She narrowed her eyes, suspiciously. "How do you know what type I am?"

He studied her for a moment before answering, visibly amused. His fingers were knitted together pensively, and nearly hid his rather large smile as he held them directly in front of his face.

"A gift of mine," he replied. "Or as logic might dictate, a survival technique. But enough of all this banter, it's high time we speak frankly."

He paused a moment to grab the poker and have a go at the fire. Tivona noticed it wasn't even close to dwindling and suspected that, much like his cane, this action was done for a reason other than necessity. This man seemed to enjoy letting her dangle.

"I came only to talk with you," he finally explained. "A little…fireside chat, if you will. You were marvelous company at the ball, and I suspect you found me similar. I see no reason to discontinue the amicability between us. Don't you agree?"

She neglected to answer.

"Oh come now, Miss O'Dwyer, why must you be so stoic? Do you not find me…complaisant?"

Tivona shifted uncomfortably in her chair. "You make me nervous and I can't say that I fully trust you," she swallowed. "…and your vocabulary is ridiculous."

He laughed deeply, revealing clearly the two sets of fangs that silenced any doubts she may have had about his vampirism.

"But why in the world would you need to fear me, Miss O'Dwyer? Are we not _all immortal_ here? Of what harm can one _immortal _really be to another _immortal? _Besides, you've said yourself you are a sorceress. No vampire has ever stood a chance against a person of magick, believe you me."

"I-I am not a typical sorceress…" she stammered. "It's a strain of Hawaiian voo-doo that I practice…y-you see…"

His shark-like eyes bore into her, dancing with the reflecting flames of the hearth, as a knowing smirk began to grow on his lips. Never before had she seen a man look more predatory.

"Is that so?"

When she saw what she thought to be his tongue darting out over his teeth, she lost composure entirely. He knew what she was; there was no doubt about it. Somehow or other, Septimus had figured out that Tivona was still mortal. How he had accomplished this and what he planned to do to her, she did not know.

What she _did _know, however, was that her street-instincts were kicking in at full-force. When eyed in such a way by anyone, one ran as fast as they possibly could. She wasted no time.

Immediately, she leapt off of the armchair, knocking it over completely in the process. It caused her to stumble, but she didn't let that minor oversight slow her pace any. She booked it towards the front door, her stilettos clacking out a death knell across the marble floors. Inside, she attempted to plan the next course of action when she reached the outside.

She'd take the carriage- yes, that was it. She'd take the carriage and head to the middle of town. No, wait. If she did that, Septimus would certainly follow and reveal her for what she was. Above all else, she couldn't let that happen.

Well, that wasn't important now. She needed to escape, that was the most imp-

She had barely gotten halfway across the lobby when Septimus' hands were twisting hers' behind her back, his body pinning her into the wall. His motions didn't hurt or succeed in injuring her in the slightest, but it did keep her in place. His strength far surpassed hers', it seemed.

She was soon turned to face him, to inhale his pine-musk scent, fully.

"You're no immortal," he breathed on her lips, the same smirk from before still in place. "I knew it from when I first laid eyes on you. You're too supple, too lively…"

His hand caressed her jaw, soon drifting to the slope of her neck, and then her collar-bone. It elicited from her a sigh –almost a gasp- of involuntary pleasure. He appeared to take great pride in this.

"You're a mortal spirit; less alive than a human, but nowhere near as undead as someone like _me. _Did you really think no one in this town would notice? Even with that silly pill of yours, good gracious…"

He drifted his head closer, causing their noses to touch. She was almost unable to stifle a moan from the levels of delirium his proximity was causing.

"Now will you admit you find me _complaisant_?"

He suddenly, abruptly detached himself from her, and she let out a sob of disappointment. There was something about Septimus that made her desire him more than any man before, and the farther he got from her, the more she wanted of him.

She allowed herself to collapse against the wall and took a moment to regain composure before speaking again. In the interest of self-preservation, she also kept her eyes shut tight.

"What do you want with me, Septimus?"

He chuckled softly and began a slow approach back towards her.

* * *

Jack was relieved that Clarence did not ask him how he found the room. He tried to make a habit of not lying, even when it was most convenient, and he currently found this to be quite disappointing.

It was not at all the fault of the staff. They had obviously thought he'd want to feel more 'at home' in his suite, hence the faux cobwebs and construction-paper Halloween decorations they had placed strategically around the room. Rubber bats hung from the ceiling, while the lamps shone only in the red of the colored bulbs they had been replaced with. When Jack had first entered, he was greeted by a recording of Mussorgsky's A Night on Bald Mountain.

It was terribly considerate and thoughtful, he had to admit, even if he would have much preferred decoration that was more in keeping with the theme of the town he was currently in.

Knowing full-well that he shouldn't embarrass or impose on his gracious hosts for the sort of room he had been anticipating, Jack set about to getting settled in.

'Settling in' for Jack included throwing his suitcase haphazardly to the side, stretching out on one of the twin beds, and flipping on the TV to watch Christmas specials until it was time to meet Sandy for dinner. He laughed through 'National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation' and wept a little through 'It's A Wonderful Life'.

When that was done, it was finally time to meet his host at the café they had agreed upon. Jack was sure to straighten his bat bowtie and make himself look presentable before heading out the door.

Probably needless to say, he expected to find this dinner engagement quite interesting.

* * *

She had fainted at some point. Most likely, she guessed, after having asked Septimus what he wanted, seeing as how she couldn't remember getting a response.

She now found herself sprawled unceremoniously out on the living room couch, while sounds of tea being made resonated from the kitchen. She was both pleased and disappointed to see that there was no evidence she had been '_messed with' _while unconscious.

Septimus soon reappeared, carrying a full tea tray. He set it down on the end table before seating himself on the couch, at her side. Her body instinctively moved closer to his, and she allowed herself the indignity of inhaling his addictive scent.

"I'd like to thank you for not taking advantage of me while I was unconscious," she groaned, holding her aching head in one palm. He grinned secretly while preparing the two, steaming cups.

"It wouldn't have been necessary," he explained, bemused. "But I think we both realize that now, don't we?"

He then handed her one of the porcelain cups, which she noticed was chipped, purposefully crooked, and decorated with painted spiderwebs. It seemed only appropriate for a tea set of Jack's. Gratefully, she sipped the hot liquid and kept silent about his reference towards the new found control over her. After all, she knew as well as he did that he could take her right now, right on this couch- and she'd give herself over more than willingly.

Tivona was soon placing the cup back on the coffee table and reclining on to the cushions, surveying him fixedly.

"You never answered my question," she pointed out in a near whisper. "What is it you want with me?"

In keeping with his behavior so far that evening, he took a longer-than-necessary sip of his tea, swallowed thoughtfully, and placed the cup back onto the tray before finally relenting with an answer to her question. Just before doing so, however, he extended a hand to brush one stray hair from her forehead and, also, smile down at her patronizingly. She delighted in this attention, as superficial as it might have seemed.

"I only want to help you," he breathed innocently. "And you _are_ in need of help, aren't you?"

She simply nodded, and he laughed softly, triumphantly.

"No doubt Death threatens to remove you from this world if you don't become immortal before the month is out. If your behavior thus far is any indication of your over all intelligence, I'd say you haven't yet figured out how."

She glared at him, her desire for him now becoming violent. He took notice of this transformation and licked his lips hungrily. Apparently, he had been counting on this.

"I ought to slap you for saying that," she hissed.

"Then do it," he dared her. "You've wanted to touch me for some time, haven't you? Now's your chance."

She shot out an arm in an attempt to backhand him, but he swiftly caught her wrist before she could make contact. He used the leverage to lean downward, pressing her arm into her chest, and her, deep into the couch itself. His metallic eyes appeared to almost turn a bright crimson as they drilled into hers, but that may have just been the glow of the nearby fire.

"You're quite the little vixen, aren't you?" he mused. "Yes, I can already tell you're going to be great fun. I can see now why I like you so much, Tivona. You can keep a man on his toes, can't you?"

She squirmed defiantly and futilely beneath him. He laughed again, fully amused with the entire situation.

"Please," he smirked, stilling her movements with a firm grip on her exposed thigh. "Don't fight against me. You're not fooling anyone."

And now it was she who was also grinning deviously back at him. "But resistance makes this all significantly more enjoyable, don't you think?"

His pleased expression in reply seemed to suggest that he agreed, even if his palm was suddenly being pressed against her mouth.

"Now, I'd like for you to keep that beautiful mouth shut. I'm quite ready to explain myself and I do not intend to be interrupted."

His hand was not removed, even as he continued on with his explanation.

"As we both are aware, Miss O'Dwyer, you need to become immortal before the 1st of November. Fortunately, I am capable of accomplishing this for you. You see, when a vampire bites a human, they are essentially claiming their soul. Seeing as you are a spirit, biting you would only be eliminating the middle-man. Do you follow me so far, my dear?"

She simply nodded.

"Allow me to turn you into a vampire, Tivona, and your problems will vanish. You can live in Halloween Town for as long as you wish and you won't even have to take that amateurishly-made pill. Vampires are naturally alluring and beautiful, as I have so eloquently exhibited to you."

When her mouth was finally free of his grasp, she immediately spoke.

"And what's in it for you?"

At that point, Septimus rose abruptly from the couch and walked a few steps away before turning back around on his heel to eye her slyly.

"I'd hate to ruin the element of surprise," he whispered.

He was back at the front door in no time flat, cloak slung back over his shoulders and gloves back in place. Immediately feeling the hunger that accompanied his growing distance, Tivona nearly leapt up from the couch and raced to his side.

"You can't leave now…" she pleaded, her voice somewhere between seduction and desperation. "Please, don't go…"

He cupped her chin and surveyed her expression for a half-second before bringing her lips to his. She nearly fainted from the contact, and when she attempted to wrap her arms around his neck, he stopped her arms and coldly nudged her away from him.

"I'm afraid not, my dear," he half-grinned again as he opened to the door to let himself out. "None of that until I hear something encouraging from you about my proposition."

She grasped the heavy fabric of his cloak. "Please come back tomorrow. Jack won't be back until late."

He gently pried her hands off of his clothes and stepped outside before speaking again.

"Perhaps I will, if the mood strikes me. We'll see."

And with a snap of his fingers, all that remained where he stood was a particularly squeaky bat. The creature flapped away into the night with surprising speed, and Tivona was left alone in the cold, dry air of the autumn night to revel in his residual scent.

Zero, meanwhile, seethed in the shadows of a nearby corner, having seen everything that had just transpired and knowing that there was little to nothing he could do about it.

* * *

Once both dinner and dessert had passed, Sandy was not quite his usual self. Jack suspected it had something to do with the amount of spiked eggnog he had consumed in the course of the evening, of which Jack had long ago lost count.

He had been surprisingly chipper and amicable throughout the meal, considering what had transpired a year before, but he was especially so now. The skeleton certainly didn't mind. A slightly intoxicated Sandy Claws made for excellent company during their after-dinner chat in the restaurant lounge.

Throughout the evening they had spoken almost entirely about Christmas Town, Christmas the holiday, and Sandy Claws himself. This was, of course, at the behest of Jack, whose passionate love affair with the season had not dwindled in the slightest. He wanted to hear about everything Sandy experienced on a daily basis. Much to Jack's delight, the more the large man drank, the more enthusiastic he became about sharing this information.

Having gone the entire time without so much as a sentence out of Jack, the skeleton king began to think he wouldn't have to interrupt Sandy's fascinating anecdotes with any personal stories of his. Ultimately, this had been his goal the entire time.

However, Sandy Claws wasn't about to let himself blabber the whole night. He stopped Jack mid-question (something having to do with how Sandy kept track of all the gift requests from the good boys and girls).

"Now, now, enough about me, old boy!" he exclaimed. "I want to know about Jack Skellington! I've done more than enough talking. Tell me, what's new in the world of the Skeleton King?"

Jack could only laugh in resignation, shrugging before answering the question with a fairly simple, unexciting answer.

"Oh, not much, I suppose. Everything seems to be in order."

"And your preparations for Halloween?" Sandy pried. "I trust everything is going smoothly? You haven't much time, you know."

Jack absentmindedly swished his small, completely untouched glass of brandy.

"Yes, I realize. Though I suspect things will be a touch more complicated this year…"

He added this last thought with the slightest hint of amused suggestion, causing Sandy's eyebrows to rise in curiosity.

"…because I'm scheduled to get married this Halloween."

The jolly old elf's eyes lit up brighter than the lights that decorated the town.

"Splendid!" he exclaimed, clapping his small, pudgy hands together. "Congratulations, old boy!"

Jack grinned, holding up his whiskey glass to initiate a toast. He thanked Sandy for the congratulations as soon as the glasses had clinked.

But it was Mister Claws' next comment that made Jack nearly spit his brandy across the lobby.

"To Jack and Sally!" he bellowed before downing a healthy swig of nog.

"Oh, no, no Mister Claws, I think you're mistaken. It's not Sally I'm marrying…"

As soon as he had finished the sentence, however –which consisted of 'Sally' 'I'm' and 'marrying' all in one- he got an ever so curious stirring in his bones that he hadn't quite felt before. Furthermore, the whole idea of him marrying Sally –which had now embedded itself in his skull, thanks to Sandy's mistake- caused the stirring to become stronger and harder to ignore. Whatever could have caused this strange, unfamiliar feeling?

Sandy's consequential expression was a mixture of disbelief and disappointment.

"Not Sally? Well then who the blazes _are_ you marrying?"

"Her name is Tivona O'Dwyer," Jack explained. "She's a newcomer to Halloween Town and she's just…perfect."

Upon hearing her name, Sandy got a curiously dark look, accompanied by a seemingly unwarranted frown.

"Perfect, eh? Well, if you think so. She was always on my 'Naughty' list as a child, but perhaps she's changed in her adulthood-er, afterlife…"

"She most certainly has, Mister Claws!" he assured. "She's absolutely wonderful. I couldn't have asked for a better woman to be my wife."

Sandy remained unconvinced. He stared at his nearly empty eggnog glass for a moment, appearing to be mulling over a dangerous thought.

"You never happened to give Sally a second thought though, did you? She seemed a fine woman to me-perfect for you, in fact. 'Would have imagined you two would have found your way to each other by now…"

Once more, Jack was compelled to return to the odd feeling he had experienced before.

"Really?" he said after a time. "Sally and I? I don't think I ever would have-"

"Now don't you go off and tell me that she's not good enough for you, because that bloody well isn't true, Mister Skellington!"

"No, no!" he corrected. "It's not at all like that! Quite the opposite, actually. You see, I don't think I ever thought of Sally like that because…well….she's too good for me, Mister Claws. I'm just a hopeless, absentminded skeleton. What could I possibly ever offer someone as smart and as capable as her?"

The larger man's eyes began to soften, a knowing grin now working its way across his rosy face.

"Besides, she's never shown an interest of that nature in me," Jack continued. "And really, who can blame her? Even if I had ever thought of Sally that way, there's no way she would-"

His suspiciously abrupt stop made Sandy urge him forward.

"…yes, Mister Skellington?"

Jack shook his head, as if to physically rid himself of an unwanted idea.

"The point is moot, Mister Claws. I have a wonderful fiancée, Sally is my best friend, and that's that."

Sandy Claws eventually nodded in disheartened understanding and smiled warmly.

"Well, I suppose you know what's best for you, Jack."

"Indeed." Jack agreed, though not with the same amount of certainty he'd had earlier in the evening.

It wasn't long after this discussion that the two men bid each other adieu for the evening and Jack caught a sleigh back to his suite.

He had plans to evaluate the chalet pamphlets before bed –as tomorrow would be his appointment with the realtor- and then retire to a peaceful, sugarplum-filled sleep. Due to Sandy's confusion, however, he would be doing neither.

From his sleigh ride to the early hours of the morning, Jack was kept awake and preoccupied by a curious thought. _What if _it had been Sally he was marrying and not Tivona? _What if _there had never been a Tivona? _What if _he had fallen in love with Sally instead? Was there even the slightest shred of possibility that Sally could ever or would ever be interested in _him_ anyway?

This was all theoretical, of course. Like he had said before, he was currently engaged to Tivona and best friends with Sally. That was the way it had to be; meant to be. Sally had most likely never thought of Jack as anything other than a friend and an employer. So, like he had established earlier, the point was entirely moot in all respects.

But it still didn't stop him from thinking. He simply couldn't help but brainstorm reasons why someone –like himself- might fall in love with Sally and couldn't help but come away with more than he could count on both hands. He also couldn't help but think of reasons why he and Sally might be good together as a couple and, again, produce a startling amount of convincing points. For a moment, he found himself baffled at the fact that he had never mulled this idea over before.

But then he reminded himself why; Sally couldn't have wanted someone like Jack. He had to have always known that somewhere deep down inside. Being with Sally was so intangible, so unbelievable that it required a drunken Sandy Claws to point the prospect out to him. But now that the idea was in his head, it seemed impossible to remove.

What finally got him to sleep was an insistence to think of something else- anything else. He thought about Christmas, about the chalet he'd choose, about his life with Tivona and how assuredly blissful it would be. Not one thought did he allow to feature Sally, which was rather disheartening in and of itself, given that he had always seen her as an integral part of his existence and had hoped she always would be.

His eventual sleep was far from relaxed or pleasant, but it did eventually occur. Instead of sugarplums, however, Jack dreamed that he was alone and lost in a pitch-black cave. It wasn't the darkness or what could be lurking within that scared him senseless, it was the fact that when he called out his friend's names, no one came to aid him.

The darkness eventually swallowed him whole, and he awoke early the next morning feeling more alone than he ever had before.

* * *

**A/N- **Oh snap, maybe I should have titled this chapter **Shit Just Got Real**. Yeah, or...not. XD I'd love to hear what you think, folks, so don't forget to share!


	13. Chapter 11 Bad Moon Rising

_Chapter 11- Bad Moon Rising _

**A/N- **Welcome back to the story, gang (and a general welcome and thank you for the newcomers =D). I hope everyone's had a great holiday and an awesome start to the new year.

I apologize for the slight wait on this chapter, but I'm hoping it was worth it. It was a major bitch to get through, I'm not going to lie. Nevertheless, I think I've finally whittled it into something acceptable.

Alright, so just as a fair warning about this installment, things get a _little _heavier and there's a moment where I definitely feel like I'm channeling 'Animal Farm' or something like it (you'll know what I'm talking about when you get there). To be honest, I'm not sure how much of this is meant to be taken "_seriously_" and how much of it is total tongue-in-cheek silliness...probably somewhere in between, I would guess. There are also a lot more OC's here that will be making their debut, so I do hope you'll find them agreeable and well-suited to their environments. Having so many newcomers is a bit inevitable, given that I'm planning to flesh out the other holiday worlds as much as possible (something I was sorely disappointed to find out was not touched on at all in the video game Boogie's Revenge. False advertising, indeed!).

Also, my loyal reviewer 'X' has pointed out the presence of an excessive amount of vampires, so allow me to address that for just a moment. For better or for worse, vampires lend themselves well to certain character archetypes and several plot devices I plan to use in this story. It was not my exact intention to have as many as I do now, but I've succumbed to them out of admitted convenience. I don't plan for them to have a monopoly over the story or anything like that, and as you probably have already noticed, I will not be straying from the expected limitations and weaknesses that _true _vampires should have (although, you'll have to let me suspend just a bit of realism in some facets of their being. After all, this is meant to be an enjoyable read about talking skeletons and holiday worlds, not an Ann Rice novel). In terms of logistics story-verse-wise, think of it this way; Vampires (at least these vampires) are apparently able to reproduce (again, let's not argue biology semantics, lest I be forced to remind the reader that there's an _anthropomorphic skeleton _in here) in at least a similar fashion to humans. Many of the other Halloween Town beings aren't capable of this (or if they are, like the werewolves- as I touch on in this chapter-, there are no viable partners around) and so the continuation of those species relies on those beings falling into Halloween Town, rather than just pushin' some cushions. Basically, it's a lot easier for there to be more vampires wandering around than any other kind of creature (also, remember that vampires can make more of themselves by biting people in the living world, though given the lack of mortals readily available, it's much more logical just to pop out babies). So, if you look at it that way, it hopefully makes sense. Also, I hope you don't find the vampires too annoying. ;)

So, I guess that's all I need to say for now. Enjoy! =D

**Disclaimer- **Burton's.

* * *

Just about everyone who was present that day would have rather been just about anywhere else. Literally, anywhere.

Because, _surprisingly_, waiting a day before the wedding to do the final fitting for herself, her bridesmaids, her groom, and his groomsmen, made for one very unhappy and difficult Tivona.

Despite actually being one of the party members, Gloria Dobberstein was forced to grovel at everyone's knees-particularly Tivona's- with a tape measure, needle, and thread to complete the 'final touches'. Sally, meanwhile, found herself rushing around in the half-finished, floor-length, strapless black bridesmaids' dress, making sure the centerpieces were assembled to the bride's specifications and answering the incessant phone calls.

Meanwhile, Helga and Zelda –the other two bridesmaids-, complied with Tivona's instructions to stand stone still in their untouched dresses, though not without the obligatory complaints.

"I look too fat in this dress. Why did it have to be in this style?" Zelda whined.

"Oh shut up, Zelda," Helga snapped. "We'd be hard-pressed to find a dress style that _didn't _make you look fat."

Zelda gasped and prepared to pounce on her sister and probably rip handfuls of her hair out. She was interrupted, however, by the irritated bride who stood in front of three-way mirror while Gloria tended to the hem of the flowing black wedding gown.

"Stop it!" Tivona screamed. "'Else I'll kick you BOTH out! Sally's the only one out of you idiots who is of any use…"

Following this comment, Gloria _accidentally _stuck her in the leg with a pin. Tivona yelped and demanded to know why in the world she'd do a thing like that.

Suddenly, the parlor door began to creak open and the respective arguments were quickly forgotten. Fearful that the entering stranger was the groom, Tivona screamed for help and Gloria, Helga, and Zelda leapt into the effort of keeping her hidden. The servants tending to the centerpieces looked around a bit bewilderedly, and Sally could only subtly roll her eyes.

"Sally, answer the door!" the four women cried from the protective covering of the three-way mirror.

"And tell them to knock next time or I'll personally deck them in the face!" Tivona added.

Sally swiftly grabbed the edge of the door, halting it from opening any farther, and was met by Victor's large, watery eyes.

"Oh, Sally!" he exclaimed, pleasantly surprised.

She stepped out into the hallway and shut the door of the suite behind her.

"I don't mean to be rude, but my wits would appreciate it if you'd knock next time. Her _highness _is deathly afraid the King will see her in her gown before the ceremony."

She said all of this with an air of sarcasm so thick it could be cut with a butter knife, and even added a grin and a wink to assure Victor no severity was intended.

This still didn't prevent his signature look of terror.

"I-I am t-t-terribly sorry," he stammered, nervously fidgeting with the lapels of his black groomsman's suit. "I-i-it's just that the g-g-groomsmen –and the…the, groom, of course- have b-b-been waiting a long time f-f-for our s-s-u-its to be f-f-finished…"

Sally stilled his quivering hand.

"My goodness, you're stammering more than usual, Victor. Surely, Tivona can't be that intimidating…?"

"Oh no…no…" he assured her, graciously removing her hand. "I…I s-suppose it's all of this w-w-wedding business that has me…a-a-all worked up…"

Smiling comfortingly at him once more, Sally placed a hand between his shoulder blades and began to lead him back across the hall to the groomsmen's suite.

"Gloria is little preoccupied at the moment," she explained as they walked. "But I'd be pleased to finish the suits myself."

Victor returned her smile, seeming to relax a little.

"W-w-we'd very much appreciate it."

* * *

The orange glow of the jack-o-lantern sun began to disappear over the horizon, signaling the end of day.

Septimus only knew this, however, because he was in possession of a pocket watch and not because he had any windows in his house; because he didn't, as a matter of fact. Being a vampire and possessing a purely vampiric family, it was simply not wise to include such additions to their place of dwelling. There were some vampires in his clan (and others) who liked having windows to see the moon and stars at night, and would just install those heavy, dark curtains to block out the sun during the day. But that usually wasn't enough. Those vampires would occasionally inherit unattractive rashes that could have only been caused by stray rays of sunlight. More unbelievable still, there were those who dared to venture out during daytime, with only a flimsy umbrella to protect them. They might as well have taken a bath in garlic, as far as Septimus was concerned.

Septimus preferred to keep his flawless, marble skin just that. It was only proper that the rest of his family do the same, as they _were_ the leading members of the Atrox clan. As such, there were certain precautions that had to be taken, some more tedious than others, but all worth the effort.

At any rate, Septimus was currently admiring himself in the hallway mirror, biding his time until it was safe to venture out.

The mirror allowed him to see the steady approach of his wife, Isabella, from behind. He was expecting her to be along at any moment with the typical, suspicious scolding.

He watched her out of the corner of his eye as she studied him, thinking he didn't notice. She was tall and Italian and in possession of flowing, soft raven locks and small olive eyes that shone like smooth, wet stones. And yet, she was old (as old as he, and perhaps a bit more) both in age and in novelty. She was also somewhat insane, a trait of hers' he used to find quite exciting in their courting days. As years upon years of marriage had passed, however, it became nothing more than a nuisance.

There was a time when she was beautiful to him. There was a time when he enjoyed enticing and seducing her with his inherent allure. But that time seemed so long ago that Septimus could hardly believe it was ever a reality.

Of late, he had been lusting for a new entanglement; preferably, with a very young, immature, beautiful, and easily-manipulated woman (much like Tivona O'Dwyer). Isabella was aware of this, but then again, Septimus had made no false pretenses for her sake. Every day, he was more than frank about his intents to soon abandon her for something more thrilling. She had been making what small, futile attempts she could to scare or force him into staying, but even she had to know that her efforts were useless. Her tactics were no doubt more for her own sake than anything else.

"You shouldn't leave tonight," Isabella said finally, her thick accent highlighting her frustration. "You are never home, Septimus. You never spend time with your family."

"I am my own man, Isabella," Septimus replied dryly. He continued to focus on his reflection, not bothering to even glance in her direction. "I may do what I wish, when I wish it."

Isabella floated from the back hallway to his side and began looking up at him, almost pleadingly. It wasn't in her nature to show raw desperation, and she often disguised it with a thick veneer of aggression. The less her husband heeded her words, however, the more helpless she became.

"You have an obligation to tell me where you go," she hissed. "And what you do when you get there…"

Septimus didn't even bother to scoff.

"No, I don't believe so. I am the head of the household."

Isabella began to break. One eyelid twitching, she roughly seized the loose fabric of his sleeve and, clutching it savagely in her hands, began to pull it to her chest.

"I am STILL your wife!" she screeched.

He yanked the sleeve back and made sure to nudge her away from him by the shoulder. Following this, he casually left the hallway mirror and made his way over to the front door where his gloves, cloak, cane and hat were waiting for him. As he began to put these on, Isabella quickly collapsed onto the hardwood floor in loud, wet sobs.

Seraphina, having heard this commotion, came thumping down the stairs to rush to her mother's aid.

"How dare you…" Seraphina nearly growled at her father as she helped her unstable mother to a standing position. "How dare you treat your family like this!"

"As I have told you both, _repeatedly, _I am the head of this household and of this clan. I will decide how you both will and deserve to be treated."

He spoke with his back facing them and a tone that was unmistakably apathetic. This angered Seraphina further, and so she ran up behind him and yanked his shoulder, forcing him to face her.

"At least have the decency to look us in the eye when you speak to us!"

This demand was met with a hard, backhanded smack across her face from Septimus' ungloved hand. The force of the strike caused her to fall to the floor.

"Who do you think you are to speak to me in such a way?" he shouted at her crumpled form as she attempted to crawl her way back to her mother. "Such disrespect..."

As his daughter took her bereaved mother into her shaking arms, Septimus promptly left the house through the front door as though nothing were amiss.

He'd be rid of the two insane women before too long, at any rate. As such, it hardly mattered what they thought of him.

* * *

Sally was done with the final suit alterations of all four groomsmen by mid-afternoon. It was definitely a new record for her, and a surprisingly-timed one, given she hadn't done much sewing in the past few months and wasn't exactly 'up' on her craft.

She reported this news to Tivona and the rest of the party –who, by the way, were nowhere near finished with their dresses- and was rewarded with delighted squeals and a lingering hug from the bride.

"Sally," Tivona gushed as she pulled away from their embrace. "I had no idea you could sew better than Gloria!"

"_Faster _doesn't mean _better_!" Gloria shouted from the far corner the room, wherein she had begun tending to Helga's dress. Tivona rolled her eyes and waved off the comment.

"Well, it does in this case, given the wedding _is _tomorrow. So, tell me, did you finish Jack's tux too?"

Sally was then reminded of the extremely peculiar thing that happened the moment she arrived in the men's suite with Victor. Jack, who had just put on his half-finished, solid-black (and non-striped) tuxedo, noticed her sudden presence and immediately excused himself from the room. Stranger still, he had never returned from whatever inaudible excuse he'd uttered before charging out.

"No, I didn't," she finally answered. "Come to think of it, I'm not sure where he is…"

"His majesty has retreated to his private study," one of the small, skeleton servants explained, looking up from his duty of preparing one of the many centerpieces (which were made of an arrangement of dying flora). "He's asked to be left undisturbed for the time being."

Tivona scoffed.

"Oh, for crying out loud. Never mind that, Sally, just go do what needs to be done to finish him up. We don't have time for this ridiculousness."

With that said, she gathered her mass of skirts and plodded back up the raised platform in front of the three-way mirror to allow Gloria's continued efforts on her hem.

"But, if he doesn't want to be disturbed-" Sally started to protest softly, soon to be interrupted.

"Just go in there and sew up his damn suit, no matter what he says! You have my permission."

With Tivona's apathetic words of encouragement to aid her, Sally set out to reluctantly oblige the bride in her wishes.

* * *

As Septimus made his way through the ever-darkening, barren forest, he was pursued by both a ghost and a werewolf.

To most, this would seem quite the horrific situation to be in. However, this was Halloween Town and the pair following Septimus was consensually in his company and therefore, the situation was nothing more than perfectly ordinary. Considering also that Septimus was a vampire, the matter of 'fear' on his part may seem entirely ridiculous.

Both of the creatures were dwellers of the Hinterlands, the space that occupied the outside of the town. It was a fruitless and empty area of land that was reserved for those citizens of the Holiday who were considered menaces to society (meaning, more so than what the Holiday already required of its members, which was saying something) and were banished into isolation.

The ghost was that of a bitter, middle-aged woman named Agnes Miller. She had lived on the East Coast of the United States sometime during the turn of the century, and her clothing indicated as much. No one was quite sure how she died or why she was so unpleasant to be around (both of which might very well have shared the same cause), but that was probably because she hadn't ever told anyone. It wasn't just that Agnes didn't like socializing; she hated it with a burning passion. It was for this reason that she lived in the Hinterlands, away from everyone and the burden of having to be cordial. There was also no clear reason as to why she had chosen Halloween Town as her after-life residence, but it most likely had something to do with anything being preferable over the other choice of 'limbo'.

The werewolf's name was Horace Clearwater. Due to things like silver bullets, most werewolves never successfully escaped to a safer existence, and as such, Horace was Halloween Town's only other member of the species (the second was the well-known Mr. Fridolf Helsing, a very well-liked member of the town). Horace's wolf-form had recently achieved a perpetual state, and he reveled in his multiplied strength and speed. Horace enjoyed such activities as tearing things apart, setting the thatched roofs of the town ablaze, breaking glass, unraveling mummies, and kidnapping vampires from their midnight naps simply to put them outside and watch them experience a very unpleasant awakening in the morning. For these reasons, King Jack was forced to banish Horace to a part of the Hinterlands that had enough building ruins and unwanted items to slake his lust for destruction. Horace didn't mind the sentence until he grew bored and realized half the fun of destroying things was making others angry.

Agnes and Horace were in Septimus' company this evening for, essentially, the same reason- a hatred of the current Halloween Town government. Septimus, who had revealed his intentions for town domination to the both of them long ago, promised them drastic change. He promised a facilitation and encouragement of reprehensible behavior, as well as plenty of glorious isolation for Agnes (of which, she apparently didn't think she had enough of already).

The meeting they were venturing to this evening was a part of Septimus' grand scheme, and so it seemed only proper that they be in his company. For the sake of strengthening the cause, it was also important that the Vampire Lord look well-supported and credible to those they met with.

The three of them eventually arrived at the small, rundown cabin that they had been searching for. It was positioned far enough away from the town so that none of the residents would catch wind of the activity afoot, but not so deep in the woods that one risked being lost amongst the trees forever (which would be very inconvenient indeed). It also was placed strategically close to the 'door clearing' for reasons that will soon become apparent to the reader.

Septimus rapped his knuckles against the wood door in a specific rhythm. The door opened a crack, and a small, blue eye could be seen staring back at them. When said eye got a good look at who stood outside, the door was opened completely.

Greeting them at the threshold was a tall man dressed in the Victorian finery of a very, very light blue suit (so much so that it was almost grey). He looked to be somewhere in his mid-50's and sported an admiringly thick, grey-peppered handlebar mustache. His was no doubt the eye that had stared back at them, as it now became apparent how bright blue and twinkling they both actually were in the warm lighting of the cabin. He smiled widely at them.

"Good evening, you lot!" he welcomed with a chuckle, ushering them inside with a wave of his hand. "Please come in, do!"

Septimus managed a wan smile and obliged the man in his offer. Agnes and Horace followed suit, though their disgust at the man's chipper demeanor made doing so quite difficult.

"Well then, sir," the man said, addressing Septimus directly. "You must be the Great Lord Belvoir!"

Septimus grinned slyly at the man and nodded as he promptly removed his gloves and cloak.

"And you must be none other than Mr. Lionel Price, the Easter Town representative."

Lionel nodded, still smiling and clinging idly to the lapels of his sport coat.

"Mr. Price, I must introduce you to my companions. The lovely, translucent woman to my left is Miss Agnes Miller and the handsome young wolf, human hybrid to my right is Mr. Horace Clearwater."

Before Lionel could make his way over to them fully to extend a friendly hand for a shake, Septimus spoke up.

"I wouldn't advise you get too close to either of them, Mr. Price- that is, if you value your appendages. They both are a little…shall we say, _shy_?"

Suddenly looking a little ill, Lionel back away quickly and cleared his throat, striving to not make eye contact with either creature. Horace then growled a little, causing the man to jump in surprise, and all three took pleasure in a chuckle at the sight of it.

"Oh, Horace, now that simply won't do," Septimus scolded sardonically. "We must treat our friends with respect and Lionel is _most certainly_ our friend. Now, Mr. Price, we would very much like to meet the rest of our Halloween Town guests. Would be so kind as to introduce us?"

Septimus' false pleasantry must have been especially easy to detect, given that Lionel was now not only visibly shaken from being growled at, but also somewhat suspicious. What was true, however, was that Septimus had been counting on this, and knew quite well that his intimidating aura would take care of things for the time being. The charm and charisma would have to come into play later, at least with this particular gentleman.

After giving the three of them an unappreciative once-over, Lionel led them down the short hallway from the front door. It eventually opened on to a cozy den, currently occupied by a milieu of various strange, humanoid beings. They had all been sitting and chatting amicably, but immediately stopped to stand and greet the three newcomers.

"Everyone," Lionel began, gravely. "I'd like to introduce Lord Septimus Belvoir. In his company, Miss Agnes Miller and Mister Horace Clearwater."

Various smatters of inaudible greetings were uttered around the room.

"Well, it truly is a pleasure to meet you, sir," said one rosy cheeked, blonde-haired woman. She, too, was dressed in Victorian finery like Lionel and Septimus guessed long before it was pointed out that she was his probably his wife.

Sure enough, Lionel tilted his head towards her and introduced her as, "My wife, Agatha." Septimus was sure to return her welcome with a lingering kiss on her hand, much to the subdued chagrin of her husband. Agatha could only giggle from behind her opposite, gloved palm.

The next to speak up was the rather beautiful young woman lounging in the corner chaise. She wore an airy, white Roman dress with sparse accents of gold. Her voluminous, wavy mahogany hair was barely held up and away from her face by a golden band of leaves. She mindlessly toyed with a heart locket that rested suspiciously between her bosoms and plunging neckline, all the while eying Septimus wantonly.

"I'm Katarina, my lord," she breathed, her voice matching her appearance in seductiveness. "Assistant to Aphrodite."

"You most certainly are, my dear," Septimus grinned, returning her flirtatious glances. "And one of the representatives of Valentine's Town, if I'm not mistaken. Tell me, where is your husband?"

Katarina's dark red lips smirked suggestively. "Tristan couldn't make it this evening, my lord."

Horace, meanwhile, had gotten a good look at Katarina and decided immediately who he wanted to sit close to at this meeting. He approached her chaise hungrily, much like he might to a wounded deer. The demigoddess, however, seemed to be pleased by his attentions to her as well as impressed at his large and strong –albeit hairy- body. She bid him to sit before her with the curl of one finger.

"Good boy," she purred as soon as he had taken a seat on the hardwood floor, lovingly scratching behind one ear.

"My word, mam," Horace sighed in his gravelly, cockney accent. "You sure 'ave a way with animals…" He proved his point by proceeding to thump his hind leg in a very canine-esque fashion.

After rolling his eyes at the ridiculous scene, Septimus refocused his attentions on the next being in the room, going in a clockwise formation.

This time, he was met by the sight of two unsurprisingly soused leprechauns, both sprawled out on the couch. The male, a small, bearded thing with ratty clothes, waved his hand limply at the Vampire lord.

"Christopher O'Toole, me lord!" and then proceeded to pass out.

The female, similar to the male in appearance save for the beard, also rose from her state of inertia and smiled weakly at him.

"And Deirdre McLoughlin…at your…service…" and then she passed back out as well.

Septimus wrinkled his nose, before addressing the room as whole.

"Well…there's clearly no need to ask what town they represent."

He received some uneasy laughs in response.

The next in line for introductions was a Caucasian man dressed in traditional, colonial American clothes and a tan-skinned, Native American man, decked out in buckskin. Neither one of them appeared remotely amused or pleased with the situation.

Septimus nodded to the both of them. "Thanksgiving Town, I presume?"

They both nodded back, curtly.

"I am Ahote," the Native man answered, his voice both stoic and hoarse. "A warrior and ambassador for my tribe. This man beside me is John Bradford, a constable for his colony."

The Vampire Lord smiled half-way, approvingly. "It's pleasing to hear that you both are in reasonably influential positions."

Neither Ahote nor John said anything in reply, and instead stared daggers at Septimus. He simply sighed and shrugged to himself, transitioning his attention to the next individual in the room.

He didn't need to prod the next pair for introductions, however, because they more than beat him to the chase. Two young women dressed in short, sparkling red, white and blue stage dresses and with dark brown hair that had been curled in fashion reminiscent of the late 40's, suddenly leapt out into the middle of the den room floor.

"And I'm Molly!" said the woman to the right, enthusiastically.

"And I'm her twin sister, Milly!" sang the other.

The two then linked elbows and warbled their next tune with a small can-can dance routine.

"We're the Firecracker Sisters and we're here to-"

But they were interrupted rather abruptly by the smack of a stiff, wooden board to the back of both of their heads. The impact caused them both to go cross-eyed and faint onto the hardwood floor.

Too startled to do much of anything, everyone in the room glanced up from the sleeping sister act to see who was responsible for the, admittedly, very welcome respite.

Floating there, with the board still clutched in her transparent hands, was none other than Agnes Miller. She pursed her thin lips as everyone continued to fixate on her, awaiting an explanation.

"Oh please," she said finally. "It's what we were all thinking."

Almost in unison, everyone gradually nodded in agreement.

* * *

When she opened the door to the study–gradually, so as not to startle him-, she was met with the sight of him sitting at his desk. The room was lit only by a small oil lamp that resided in the corner of said desk, but even in this dim glow she could discern his hunched over form, nervously mulling over something reprehensible.

She didn't need to see his face to know that he was in the middle of some internal struggle. His quivering, unintelligible murmurs told her that much.

"…_Jack?_"

Despite her having whispered this in the same tone one would use when entering the room of sleeping child, he still nearly leapt out of his chair in surprise.

"Oh, Sally…I-I…I didn't think I'd see you-"He then cleared his throat and made an attempt to sit straighter. "What, uhm…what brings you in here?"

Staring at him somewhat incredulously, Sally held up a needle and thread.

"I need to finish your suit sometime, Jack…"

"Oh…! Yes, uhm…of course…"

Jack obligingly stood and walked over to a part of the room that would allow her plenty of space. He remained as still as his nerves would allow, holding out his first sleeve for her to evaluate and hem up.

She eventually came around in front of him and took his wrist in her hand, causing him to jolt slightly upon contact.

She couldn't help but look at up at him following this reaction. Meanwhile, he attempted to remain fixated on the wall directly in front of them.

"Something wrong?" she whispered. When he didn't answer immediately, she went to work on his sleeve, hoping that he might feel less in the spotlight if her attention was redirected.

"…_yes_." He managed.

Sally still didn't dare look up from her work. Something intuitive told her not to.

"I'm nervous," he explained. "I…I suppose that's it."

Jack then chuckled a little to himself and Sally joined in, if only for a moment and if only to remind him he was in the safe company of a friend.

"I hear that's rather natural for a groom," she added with a bittersweet smile Jack would only hear in her voice. "However…it still doesn't really explain why you've been avoiding me all day…"

An uncomfortable silence answered this last statement, but Sally still didn't cease her work to catch a glimpse of Jack's current expression.

"I…uhm…I wasn't aware I was-"

"Jack, please…" she interrupted. "I know you too well for that."

He nodded in understanding, a gesture she was aware of only because it made his wrist bob slightly in her hands.

"This…this isn't something we should discuss…" he gently eased his arm out of her grasp, making her eyes to look up and meet with his sockets in hurt bewilderment. He gulped before finishing, "…so close to my wedding."

At this point, something strange began to churn in Sally's artificial insides, a feeling that was both nauseating and scorching. The sensation was best described as dread and hope pursuing a passionate love affair deep within the recesses of her lower intestine. Truthfully, it wasn't something Sally _hadn't _felt before, especially in any situation related to Jack, but the potency of it was now stronger than ever- so much so, that it was almost a new thing entirely.

She, too, swallowed deeply.

"I'm afraid I don't understand."

The both of them paused for a moment and stared fixedly at the floor, determined not to meet the other's eye line. Eventually, Jack found it within himself to disengage from whatever strange tension had befallen them and simply walk away. He didn't go especially far –only to a nearby chair- but it seemed a sufficient distance to increase the comfort level.

He sat down and Sally remained as she was, still gazing at the hardwood floor as though it were as fascinating as a complex mosaic.

From his chair he surveyed her momentarily still form, taking the time to inspect every nuance about her appearance that he had somehow failed to notice in all the time he'd known her. It was an absolute mystery to him how they could have been friends for so long and he'd never known how good she looked in black. How was it possible that he was _only now _truly appreciating those long, dark eyelashes that batted with unintentional coquettishness whenever she blinked or giggled softly? How could so much time have passed without him even glancing at that curtain of uneven, waist-length, auburn hair that fell so perfectly over her rounded shoulders?

He'd always known Sally was beautiful on the inside and that he loved her more than anyone he knew. But why _now, _the evening before his wedding, was he beginning to realize how lovely she was on the _outside_? Why _now _was that sense of deep, platonic love beginning to transform into something he'd dare not recognize?

"I'm afraid, Sally," he whispered after a time. "I'm afraid and I'm uncertain."

She turned to face him, her expression soft and empathetic.

Despite his fear of what might happen if she were too close to him, he knew too well there was nothing else that would dampen his worry. He knew there was nothing he wanted more now than to be close to her, to have her tell him all would okay, that there was nothing wrong with uncertainty and it was to be expected the night before a wedding. To blazes with _those _feelings. He needed her.

Because she remained where she was in an attempt to be respectful of his need for distance, Jack rose from his chair and made his way back to her. When he arrived in the position he'd been in before, he gingerly and clumsily enveloped her in a trembling embrace. Sally reciprocated without any hint of hesitation.

She whispered words of reassurance to him as they stood, most of which Jack valued not for what was being said, but for the voice that was uttering them.

"I'll always be here, Jack," she promised. "You _do _know that, I hope_." _

He slowly pulled back, following this statement, to finally meet her gaze and take her stitched hands into his bony fingers. From here, he held both her stare and her hands with a certain amount of desperation, as if some part of him feared she might disappear.

"Sally, I…" he fumbled. "How…how can I express how grateful I am to have you?"

She quickly shook her head.

"No, no, no…you don't have to-"

His hands were suddenly on her shoulders. "No…no, I-"

But his sentence was never finished, and probably all the better as he hadn't a clue what it was he wanted to say. Perhaps it was the fact that he was conveniently clutching her shoulders or that the both of them were standing so perfectly in position, or maybe it was the presence of a million different repressed feelings hanging pendulously in between; whatever the cause, both Jack and Sally soon found themselves kissing.

The kiss was neither passionate, nor ardent, nor long. It was most assuredly sincere, perhaps the most sincere thing Jack had ever experienced in his known existence. But despite that, it was over almost as soon as it had begun.

The both of them stumbled away from each other immediately, looking terrified and confused and wide-eyed. Jack reeled and clutched at his skull, while Sally waited and surveyed him expectantly.

"I…I'm so sorry, I didn't mean-"

And that was all she needed to hear. Before he could even finish his thought, Sally had glided out of the room at a determined speed, allowing him neither a look nor spoken word. Jack sprang into action as quickly as his awareness would allow, charging out into the hallway to follow her unnaturally swift form.

* * *

While the room continued to hum with idle conversation, Septimus narrowed his eyes at Agnes. She had glided back to him now, the stiff board still clutched in her translucent hands.

"I needed them awake," he whispered to her sharply, referring to the unconscious pair of twins that lay immobile on the floor. "They're as important to this cause as any of them."

"The devil with it," she scoffed. "And, pray don't forget, my lord, that you need me too. I wouldn't have remained here longer than a millisecond if I was going to be subject to such _torture_. Neither would the rest of your party, I would bet."

Septimus' glare in her direction never lost its' potency. The fact that he said nothing else, however, seemed to suggest she'd won the argument. For this reason, Agnes was especially proud and didn't hide the fact in her smug expression.

He eventually disengaged himself from the situation and sidestepped the unconscious siblings on his way across the den to the small, raised platform at the front. Having arrived and stepped up, he didn't bother to request the attention of the small crowd. The sight of him lording over them for a good second or two would take care of that.

"Thank you." He said simply, once his goal had been achieved and all eyes were on him. "If we are all in a state of preparation, I'd very much like to proceed with the words."

Taking their silence as an indication of concession, Septimus cleared his throat before speaking.

"As most of us are already aware, we are gathered here today in the name of one, specific cause. To put it quite simply, we are _dissatisfied_; we are dissatisfied with our governments, with our leaders, and with the foolish scheme they so lovingly call, _assimilation._"

The various beings in the room listened intently, but not without a few scattered nods at this last sentence.

"In the duration of our respective existences here, we have been told we _must _be supportive, enthusiastic. We must love our leaders as we love our holidays and we must support them in whatever insanity befalls them. We must _never_…never…question them…we are to _never _challenge them. And for a very long time- nay, for perhaps for as long as these holidays have existed- we have blindly followed this trend, as have our fathers and mothers before us."

As his tone steadily grew in passion and volume, so did the amount of attention devoted to him from the listeners.

"But _we, _dear friends, are different. _We_ are of a strain of being that thinks only for itself and does not follow every word of authority as would a herd of cattle. _We _are intelligent enough to know when our tolerance has pushed to the absolute brink and _holiday assimilation, _my friends…is that brink."

He paused a moment for effect, as well as for a sip from the glass of water that sat conveniently beside him.

"While each of us will have our own reason for not supporting this cause, I think we can all agree that biggest of these is a need to preserve our identities. What good can come out of mixing one holiday with the other, I ask you? We all _know _the reason why this is being forced upon us, ladies and gentlemen, and yet we all _know _that said reason wouldn't have even happened if a certain skeleton King had kept his skull in his _own holiday_!"

This declaration was followed by a fervent nodding of heads, as well as few smattered claps and louder murmurs of approval.

"Holiday assimilation will only be the cause of the issues it is supposed to prevent. We must stand united against it, and we must spread the truths of its' evil to every corner of our individual worlds. We must gift our brothers and sisters with insight, with the ability to stand up against a power that we have obeyed without question for too long. _We _are the bearers of this possibility, this hope for a better future. As Heracles choked the beast Cerberus into submission, so shall we to the power that looms over us!"

The room then exploded into a small round of applause and cheer, and Septimus didn't hesitate to revel in the audible evidence that his plan was going accordingly.

"But what of you, Lord Belvoir?" asked the now familiar voice of Ahote over the miniscule roar. He had stood from his seated position so as to be seen as well as heard, and it was sufficient to momentarily silence the room. "If King Jack is as irresponsible as he sounds, then surely you agree something must be done. What is it you plan to do about him?"

The crowd refocused their attentions to the Vampire Lord in expectation, and Septimus smiled, knowingly.

"You must understand that I am not drawn to violence. I have no intention of staging some war-like coup wherein I deconstruct the skeleton King limb-from-limb. Oh no, my methods of acquisition are much more subtle than that. I fancy myself clever enough to come up with a solution that will harm nothing, aside from the dear King's ego."

Ahote narrowed his copper eyes into a fixated, suspecting glare.

"I feel obligated to point out that you're shying away from specification, my lord."

Septimus chuckled and sauntered down from the platform.

"My dear, Ahote," he said wistfully. "You mind your town, and I will mind my own."

* * *

When Jack had finally caught up with Sally, they were neither alone nor in an appropriate environment to talk.

The sight he was greeted with first was of Sally behind held by the forearms by two of his small guards, and the second was of Tivona's gradual appearance from around the corner, her golden-amethyst eyes blazing brightly.

"How dare you, Jack Skellington…" she hissed.

Stunned at how she could have found out so quickly what transpired upstairs, Jack glanced around the lobby for any telling evidence. He found it the form of the bridesmaids, all three of whom were failing miserably to seem inconspicuous.

"Tivona, I…I can explain…" he managed, trying to keep hold of his composure.

She crossed her arms over her chest and pursed her full lips together. "You'd better."

He stole a brief look at Sally, and she reciprocated with an expression that he couldn't differentiate from pleading or hurt.

"But first," Tivona snapped, breaking the moment. "I want that ragdoll _banished_."

Jack's jaw dropped, and though a sizable part of him wanted to protest against it, he could neither bring himself to form the words nor justify his saying of them at all.

"_Banish _her!" Tivona screeched. "_Banish _her or the wedding is off!"

The skeleton simply shook his head profusely, and grasped the sides of his skull. Never before had he felt more emotionally torn, and his indecisiveness rendered him speechless.

Tivona continued to scream her demands, while Jack wavered in place, murmuring nearly incomprehensible chants of 'No's' over and over again.

Sally, immediately sensing a dire need for her help, wasted no time in delivering it. She quickly kicked both guards in the shins, causing them to relinquish their hold on her. She then proceeded to make a swift escape into the night, holding the hem of her unfinished bridesmaids' dress up off the cobblestone.

"After her!" the bride yelled, to which she was answered with a blank look from the guards and bony hand on her arm.

"It appears she has banished herself," Jack explained softly. "I will not give them the order."

Bereft of anything else to do, Tivona merely screamed once more and stamped her foot. She then tore Jack's hand away and clomped upstairs, a fit of tears beginning to overcome her and smear her mascara.

As she had hoped, Jack followed behind her, being nothing less than a fountain of desperate apologies.

* * *

**A/N- **Despair not, Sally fans(and/or Sally/Jack fans)! Know that I love her character dearly and that this is not some tactic to get rid of her forever. I've got some fun stuff in the works for her and she most certainly will come back to Halloween Town (with a vengeance! Mwhahaha) . Concerning the last part, I would hope my readers have gathered by now who it is that will end up together in this story. ;)


	14. Chapter 12 Maiden Wine

_Chapter 12- Maiden Wine_

**A/N- **Surprisingly enough, this chapter just kinda flowed out of me like water (and not something much less tasteful that I _could _compare it to if I wanted). I think this was the most fun to write so far, and I'm rather pleased with how it finally turned out. However, I do want to warn the reader that is chapter is a little...well..._weird, _for lack of a better word. I speak primarily about the scene involving Tivona, but the scene involving Sally could be seen as a little strange, too. I apologize for any slight discomfort parts of this chapter might cause, but honestly, I don't think any of it is that bad in comparison to a lot of what floats around on the net these days, even within this fandom. Mostly, I'm speaking about the more sexually-charged parts of this chapter (which don't involve Sally, if that's any consolation). None of these scenes would even be eligible for much more than a PG-13 rating, so don't worry.

We do get our first glimpse of one of the other Holiday worlds, and this is one of things I'm hoping won't be too *out there* or very far removed from the familiarity of TNBC. We'll be exploring it with a major, canon character, which I think might help some of us with the transition. I dunno, we'll see.

Also, I wanted to briefly address the matter of the _Ensnare _drug and the inherent vampire _allure_, because I'm not sure I've been as clear about these things I should have been. Basically, Tivona's ability to control Jack at various intervals and make him do and say things he wouldn't under normal circumstances is a product of this drug. If you'll recall, I described this drug earlier in the story as having the ability to make slaves of those who are attracted. Please keep this in mind as the story progress, because there might be moments that you'll want to slap Jack (or me) and demand to know what the hell he thinks he's doing. _Relax, _he isn't in a "sober" state of mind. As for the vampire allure, this is something that (despite Twilight's abuse of it, IMO) makes sense to me as a trait vampires would have. Their abilities are very similar to the products of the _Ensnare _in that their pheromones, or whatever it is about them that makes them irresistible, make wanton, drooling slaves of their prey. Again, to me, this is a logical trait for them to have. This occurs in nature as well with some predator/prey relationships. Tivona's "addiction" to Septimus, as it were, is based in a large part to this ability of his. _That's _why she hungers for him. This also isn't really a new characteristic of vampires in media and folklore. Watch Belga Lugosi as Dracula sometime to see what I'm talking about. (Believe me when I say, though, that I love the Nosferatu approach to vampires just as much as anyone, yet it still seems more plausible that a vampire would look appealing and have an inherent ability to seduce and thereby manipulate. That's just a basic survival trait, IMO).

Again, I appreciate all of the wonderful reviews and those of you who are keeping up so faithfully with the story. If you haven't come out from lurking yet, I invite you to please do so and give me your two cents. Feedback (as well as knowing I'm not the only one reading this, lol) is what keeps me going. Thanks again, to all of you! =D

**Disclaimer- **Burton's (mostly).

* * *

Pulling on their gloves and headpieces, the couple exited the warm embrace of the cabin to be met with the harsh, blistery wind of the late autumn night. Having spent their lives in a year round, Spring-like climate, they were not anywhere close to being comfortable with this.

"Oh dear," Augusta sighed, shifting her lavender shawl so that it more completely covered her shoulders. "Dreadfully cold out here, isn't it darling?"

"Yes quite," Lionel agreed, attempting to hide how much it truly affected him. "Best we get home sooner rather than later."

He then lit their lantern, hooked an elbow with his wife, and began their brief trek through the dark woods, back to the familiar clearing of doors. He could feel Augusta press herself closer to him as they walked, clearly ill-at-ease with the forest. He would have told her there was nothing to be afraid of, but given the world they were currently in, he suspected that there probably most definitely was.

"I'm rather sad we're not staying for the celebrations tomorrow," Augusta said after a time, clearly trying to refocus her attention and retain her perpetual positivity. "It will be the 31st, darling, Halloween. I do think it would be awfully fun to see how one celebrates such a thing, wouldn't you, my love?"

Lionel huffed beneath his mustache.

"Perhaps, my pet. I, for one, want as little to do with this town or that _vampire lord _as conceivably possible. I simply don't trust him…and besides, darling, we mustn't forget what we're trying to stand for. Staying to take part in the Halloween celebrations would only be facilitating assimilation."

Augusta nodded, her bonnet tickling Lionel's chin slightly as she did so.

"Oh, I suppose you're right, my dear…as usual."

She then looked upward at him and paused a moment to place a delicate kiss on the edge of his jaw. He smiled down at her warmly.

"You know, Augusta," he began, regaining their pace. "On a moonlit night like this, with you by my side…alone for a stroll in the woods…why, I'd almost call it _romantic_…"

She giggled a little mischievously and toyed with the fringes on her shawl.

"Oh, Lionel, you silly charmer, since when have you and I had time for _romance_? I daresay you'd hardly know what it is anymore!"

"Well, not since the children, certainly," Lionel agreed. "But this _does _recall to mind our courting days, doesn't it, Gustie? You and I would sneak out into the night once your parents had gone to sleep…we'd skip rocks in Lilac Lake, stroll down Bunny Trail…and then, Gustie, do you remember what we'd do in the Daffodil Forest?"

Augusta, blushing profusely, began to giggle once more and playfully swat Lionel on his arm.

"Oh, Lionel, do stop! I'd absolutely die if you said those things out loud!"

So instead of announcing it loudly for all the trees to hear, Lionel bent down and began whispering their activities as young lovers –in great detail- into his wife's ear. Her laugh got louder and more shriek-like as he did so, and so she was forced to clap her hands over her mouth. He couldn't really see her face, thanks to the obscuring bonnet and the darkness of the forest, but Lionel was sure she was now redder than a vine-ripe tomato.

"Oh, do stop, this is just too emb-"

But it was at that moment that the sound of twigs breaking and something moving quickly through the leaves –and not too far away from them-, spoiled the fun. Lionel immediately stood upright, and Augusta pressed herself closer to him than she ever had before.

"Darling…" she whispered, her voice quivering. "What do you suppose…?"

Lionel huffed again, straightening the lapels of his coat.

"Come, love, let's hasten our step. We're not far from the doors…"

The two did so, but didn't get much farther from their former position when the sound came again. Unfortunately, it seemed to be emanating from the direction of the clearing- the exact direction in which they needed to head to return home.

Augusta began to tremble and clutch the fabric of her husband's coat.

"Lionel, I'm frightened…" she whimpered.

He rubbed her back reassuringly, and urged them both behind a nearby tree trunk. From here, he kept a watchful eye on the moonlit circle of trees, hoping that the cause of the sound would soon reveal itself.

Being the occasional hunter, Lionel was a useful individual to have in one's company in a situation like this. Augusta knew this, as well as the fact that she wouldn't have preferred anyone else to be with her at this time. There was simply no one she trusted or felt safer with than her husband.

They waited silently for what felt like hours, though more than likely was only a handful of minutes. The sound was heard several more times, growing closer on every instance. Fortunately, it was isolated to the proximity of the clearing, so the couple's fear was based only in the revelation of what the creature might have been and not what it might do to them.

When the noise became so close to the open area that it was a certainty the maker would show itself at any moment, Lionel began to withdraw his pistol from its secured and unsuspecting location on his belt.

"Stay behind me," he murmured hastily to Augusta, as he made the first gradual steps outside the hiding spot.

Before they could make much leeway, however, the creature did as was expected and revealed itself; it came tumbling from the surrounding wall of trees in a blur and collapsed onto the moonlit floor of the clearing, seeming to be nothing more than a motionless pile of limbs. Neither Augusta nor Lionel was able to make out what sort of creature it was from where they currently stood.

The two of them continued onward, both a little relieved that the beast was probably dead or at the very least in a state of inertia. Lionel didn't lower his pistol any though, and Augusta remained behind him as per his instructions.

"Why, darling…" Augusta gasped as they took their first steps into the clearing. "I do believe it's…it's a young woman!"

He surveyed the figure for a moment, conceding in some part of him that it did _somewhat _resemble a young woman. Certainly, it had to have been _female, _at the very least.

When he was close enough, Lionel knelt down beside the alleged female and gingerly turned her over by the shoulder so as to get a good look at her face.

"Heavens, Lionel, she's a _rag doll_! She's almost exactly like the kind our little Lotte has, isn't she? That is, aside from the notable size difference, of course…"

He simply nodded and attempted to feel for some manner of pulse or indication that the female ragdoll was still living or in some state of being sentient, however it was defined in this odd world. He found a rather quickly beating one on the side of her neck, and so confirmed that she was still _undead_, as it were, if only barely.

"Well, she's not _dead_, dead, I suppose," he announced. "But most certainly unconscious…perhaps from exhaustion…"

Augusta came beside Lionel and marveled at the sight that was this unfamiliar being.

"That's a rather nice frock she has on…I wonder if she's come from a party of sorts?"

Lionel noticed a duffle bag nearby that had no doubt been flung from her grasp when she collapsed.

"Perhaps," he nodded, uncertain. "But not without an intent to make an escape."

"We shouldn't leave her here, love," Augusta pointed out, almost pleadingly. "We must take her back with us and make an attempt to nurse her back to health…or whatever state is considered normal for someone like her."

Lionel sighed audibly, knowing full-well that neither his conscience nor his wife would allow him to leave this poor doll woman in the woods. What was unfortunate, however, was the fact that carrying a being from one Holiday world to the next was assimilation at its finest, and he was loath to taint the perfection that was Easter with something from Halloween. The two were nearly exact opposites of each other, for crying out loud…

Still, it was more than apparent that he was in no position to argue. The choice had already been made.

So Lionel stood, sweeping the ungainly, limp form of the rag doll into his arms and Augusta nodded to him approvingly before fetching the duffle bag. The two then approached the Easter Egg door, and Augusta obliged to open it.

Following this, the three of them were almost immediately swallowed into the trunk by a pink, sugar-scented cloud of lily petals.

* * *

Tivona lay sprawled out on her bed convulsing in sobs, her watery mascara now painting her cheekbones and eyelids in globby, black tears.

Meanwhile, Jack sat shamefully at the edge, his skull hanging morosely from his shoulders. Despite not knowing what in the world he could say to justify or right what he'd done not an hour ago, he had offered Tivona whatever manner of apology he could muster. None, apparently, were sufficient.

"How could you do this to me?" she sobbed loudly for the tenth time that evening. "How could you do something _so hurtful _the night before our wedding?"

Jack swung his legs over on to the mattress, and attempted to caress her shoulder. She swiftly nudged him away and rolled over on her side, making her back face him directly.

"Ko'u aloha, please…" he cooed. "I've told you already. That kiss was simply a result of impulsivity, brought on by stress and fear, and that's truly all it was- _just one kiss_. Furthermore, it was over as soon as it had begun…"

"You love her!" Tivona insisted, her cries somewhat muffled by the girth of a pillow. "You've loved her this whole time and you've just been keeping it from me!"

Internally, Jack assured himself this was _not _the case. It just couldn't be.

"I love _you_," he insisted. "Sally is my friend."

She then turned sharply onto her back to stare daggers at him.

"Not anymore!" she growled. "Not if _I _have anything to do with it!"

Tivona then stood from the bed and stomped a few feet away from it, crossing her arms tightly over her chest and keeping her back facing her fiancé.

"I wanted you to banish her when you had the chance."

Jack sighed loudly, the reminder of Sally's departure making his metaphorical heart break even more than it had already that evening.

"She's gone now, Tivona," he murmured, trying to hide his grief. "Perhaps for good. My banishing her would have been pointless."

He then took a moment to survey her resilient form as it stood, silent and furious, but gorgeous as ever. He had to believe that all that had transpired that night did so for a reason, that the possible loss of his closest friend was not only the will of the fates, but a worthy exchange for Tivona's hand in marriage. It was somewhat difficult, what with her yelling and accusing him of being a liar (not that he didn't think he deserved it), but the fact remained; he simply had to believe.

So he boldly rose from the bed and came up behind her, proceeding to place bony hands on her thin, snow-white shoulders. She didn't flinch or nudge him off, which he interpreted as an encouraging sign of progress.

"I love you," he muttered. He allowed his hands to then slightly caress her shoulders.

She barely turned her head to survey him out of the corner of her eye.

"Prove it."

He bent down and placed a cold, skeletal kiss on the slope of her neck. "What must I do?"

She then faced him completely, her jaw still grit tightly in anger.

"Kneel down." She instructed, removing his hands from where they had now drifted to her forearms. "Kneel down before me."

Her golden-violet eyes remained locked with his sockets, and the more they bore into him, the less able he was to refuse her or even so much as argue. Obediently, he dropped to one knee cap and took her hands pleadingly into his own.

"Now, beg for forgiveness."

"Ko'u aloha, I-"

"Don't you _dare_ call me that!" she shrieked, stamping her foot and making him flinch. "If you want me to be your queen you _will _call me by name!"

He nodded profusely. "Tivona…I beg for your forgiveness."

"Tell me I'm beautiful!"

"You're beautiful-"

"Tell me I'm the most gorgeous woman you've ever seen!"

"You're the most gorgeous woman I've ever seen…"

"Tell me there's no one you love more than me!"

He paused, somehow unable to acquiesce to this demand. For what reason, he wasn't sure, but the words simply wouldn't come. He had apparently hesitated too long, as Tivona immediately smacked the back of his skull, causing him to momentarily cry out.

"_Tell me!_"

In the heat of the moment, Jack was able to choke it out. "Gah..!-There's no one I love more than you!"

As he hissed slightly from the force of her strike, she helped him back to his feet with a surprising amount of tenderness.

"Now…" she whispered softly. "Ask me again to marry you, and make it _sincere_…"

He rubbed the part of his skull that had endured the blow, wanting to send her a look of wounded accusation. But he was quick to remind himself what he had done to earn her fury in the first place, and decided her strike was just as warranted. Furthermore, her dazzling eyes had made contact with his sockets yet again, enchanting him just as much as they had the day he first laid eyes on her.

In that moment, there seemed to be no one he loved or wanted more than she, rendering his statement from before _almost_ sincere.

He then direly gripped her hands, eying her as wantonly as would a child to a slice of cake.

"Tivona O'Dwyer…_please _marry me…_please…_"

She seemed pleased with the fact that this his revised proposal sounded dangerously close to a plea.

"Alright," she grinned, her anger miraculously melting away. "I'll marry you, Jack."

He then wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her close to him and began to hungrily shower her neck, cheek and forehead in the same cold, hollow pecks she had become all-too familiar with. As unpleasant as they truly were, she still pretended to get some matter of sensual pleasure from them by gripping the back of his neck and pulling his skull in closer to her.

"One more condition," she whispered into the place where an ear would normally be.

"Anything." He mumbled, his speech muffled by her flesh.

"I want a _castle_."

"A castle?"

"Yes, as a wedding present. I don't want to live in this dinky mansion. We shouldn't have to, we'll be King and Queen."

"Alright," he consented, sighing into her skin. "A castle. I'll have the magic folk conjure one up this evening."

Grinning wickedly, Tivona immediately extracted Jack from her person.

"It is improper for us to be together the night before the wedding," she playfully scolded. "And we both need our rest."

She then turned him around by the shoulders and began to nudge him closer to the door.

Before he could fully exit, however, he turned back and brought her into his arms once more, planting a forceful, passionate kiss on her full lips. Again, she forced herself to pretend to find this appealing.

"Goodnight, ko'u aloha," he sighed, once he had released her and their mouths had detached.

As soon as he had fully exited the room and was on his way back downstairs, Tivona rushed to her private bathroom and worked furiously to remove the hideous smears of mascara that still rimmed her eyes like a malformed raccoon.

While she renewed her makeup, she stole occasional glances towards the bedroom window (an admittedly very difficult feat, given it was her eye-liner and mascara she was freshening), hoping against hope he'd be later than he said he would.

"Is all of that effort just for me? How touching."

She didn't need to immediately whip around to see who had provided the commentary. There was only one man whose voice had ever been able to give her shivers.

"Don't flatter yourself, Septimus." She chided, continuing to work tirelessly on her appearance.

Cold, silk hands were suddenly on her shoulders, and a mouth and nose caressed the slope of neck, the crook of her ear. Despite not being much warmer than Jack, it was refreshing to at least feel _flesh _against _flesh_. She sighed into the ministrations, nearly dropping her eyebrow pencil onto the counter in abandon.

"It's midnight, my darling…" Septimus whispered into her skin. "The 31st. _Halloween. _There's only one day left for you…"

Her eyes popped open at that, and he backed away, eyeing her expectantly. She remained where she was, half bent over the sink and staring pensively at the countertop. He simply snickered and left her where she was to take a brief, evaluating stroll around bathroom.

"Rough night?" he asked, gesturing with a bottle of fake tears that sat on an open surface.

She exhaled cathartically.

"Jack was caught kissing that rag doll assistant of his earlier in the evening."

There was an uncomfortable pause following this statement. Septimus began to glare at the bottle he now rolled around in his palm, hoping Tivona would finish the story on her own.

"…_And_?" he nearly growled in impatience. She didn't seem to notice.

"Well, I had to get back my upper hand, somehow. Naturally, I threw a fit, wrung him out dry, and had him eating out of the palm of my hand by the time it was over."

"Good girl. And what would you say has become of the ragdoll?"

Tivona scoffed and idly primped her hair. "'Be damned if I know. She apparently made a break for it. I'm hoping she got eaten by a werewolf or something like that."

Septimus smirked to himself, and abandoned the bottle to snake hands around her hips, once more pressing his nose into the nape of her neck.

"And have we made any _decisions _yet, my love?"

She suddenly turned to face him and then sat up on the bathroom counter, proceeding to wrap her legs around his torso. He trailed hands up her spine, across her thighs, and back again. When he kissed her collar bone and trailed downward, flicking a cold tongue over the very top of her breast, she cackled wickedly.

"I'd want to be like this with you forever," she smirked. "Even if I had a choice about the whole thing…"

Gripping the backs her thighs, he jerked her in closer to him. She elicited a soft moan in response, one he suspected was more theatrical than genuine. It didn't matter now, though. There'd be _plenty _of time to make her cry out, whether she wanted to or not. For the time being, he planned to take the immediate reward that lay before him.

"I'm assuming that's a yes," he hissed. "But it hardly matters, either way. I'm taking you as my own."

He suddenly gripped a handful of her thick hair and forcibly yanked it, bringing her head backwards with an unnatural lurch. _This time, _she gasped involuntarily and her mouth hung open in a silent scream. Her neck was now empty and sloped and bare, rising before his watering mouth in all of its pure white, pulsating glory. He could almost hear the hot rivers of blood flowing uninterrupted through the cords of raised vein. The smell- that sweet, warm, human smell- was almost his ruin. It flooded his nostrils and his mind swam in it. It had been far too long since he'd had a mortal like this; a young, spry mortal with blood that was sure to be both fresh and ambrosial. His mouth was flooding, his eyes almost reeling completely backwards in his skull. She was a feast in every sense of the word.

Unable to control himself any longer, even in the name of savoring the senses, Septimus plunged into her supple skin. The hot, delicious geysers erupted immediately into his mouth, onto his tongue, in the back of his throat, and yet he retained enough of his composure to keep the explosion isolated. He simply couldn't have the bathroom bathed in evidence, after all.

Tivona's sighs and gasps were now evolving into full-fledged moans. Her thighs tightened around his waist, and her hands had woven themselves into his hair and were gripping his skull and neck direly, pulling him in closer- as if that were even necessary. Luckily for her –as for any victim of a vampire- the bites themselves were orgasmic both for giver and receiver.

Eventually, the waves began to noticeably subside, but Septimus wouldn't completely cease until the _very last _moment. She was too delicious to go to waste, even if it meant killing her and ruining his plan completely. As soon as she had given a final, satisfied cry of completion, Septimus stifled the flow and withdrew his fangs. She shuddered as he exited her, proceeding to immediately faint limply back into his arms.

He chuckled as he gathered her up and carried her from bathroom counter top to bed, surveying her new appearance all the while. She was now tainted with the same affliction that lorded over all the beings in Halloween Town, and her frigid, ice-cold skin stood as evidence to it.

* * *

Her blurry, sleep-ridden eyes were compelled to open by sunlight more bright and yellow than anything she'd seen before. Her nose was assailed by a fresh, sugary-like cotton smell, as her sight began to adjust to survey her unfamiliar surroundings.

The vision of a white, pastel-accented room gradually registered clear when her eyes had gotten accustom to the odd light. The copious amounts of brightly-colored objects, coupled with the already brightly-lit room, made her feel slightly nauseated. Never in her existence had she seen something so odd, or so grotesque.

Moving slowly so as to avoid any kind of shock, Sally came to a seated position on the pink and white bed, clutching the floral quilt to her chest as she did so. She took a moment to soak in the sight of the room, which she began to realize was more of a small cottage than an interior extension to a larger home. The walls were entirely off-white, and most of the furniture was regular wood, as anyone would use. Yet the decoration was, as mentioned before, all in different shades of light pink, baby blue, yellow, and kelly green. Statuettes and small stuffed animals of things like big-eyed frogs, fat, grinning little chicks, and rosy-cheeked rabbits sat on various open surfaces. Living, colorful arrangements of flowers also decorated the area, adding to the already overwhelming smell.

While the pleasant chirps of most-certainly-very-alive bluebirds serenaded her from the fountain just outside the nearest window, Sally cradled her pounding head and tried to remember exactly what happened last night. How did she go from impulsively kissing her best friend, thereby possibly ruining his chance at happiness, to running through the streets of Halloween Town en route to the Hinterlands, to…a blank, followed by the current memory of waking up here…? Obviously, there was something very important missing from the timeline, but despite wracking her brain over and over again for possibilities she still came up completely empty-handed. Much in the same way that a memory of a dream slowly fades after one wakes, so did her recollections of the night before.

It was then that footsteps could be heard outside, no doubt coming down a path to the door that stood directly in front of her. Sally didn't bother to try and make an escape. For one thing, she figured whoever it was that was going to enter probably had an explanation or two that could clear things up. For another, her surroundings were too positive and benign to make her think she was being held captive, at least not by anything menacing. So she waited, and watched the shadow on the window of the front door fumble with the keyhole and then turn the knob.

"Oh, splendid! You're awake!"

This was squealed by the blonde, apple-cheeked woman who had just entered. She was dressed in a pastel-blue, Victorian-era frock, and her shiny yellow locks were curled into bouncy tendrils that quivered with her every step. Her eyes were a bright and sparkling sapphire blue and they twinkled in the unnaturally overpowering light of the sun. What Sally took the most notice of, however, was how pink and flushed the woman's skin was. She hadn't seen such a being outside of Dr. Finklestein's medical books, and she began to ponder the possibility of this woman being _a human_. Had she somehow made her way up to the living world? According to the laws of the portal, that was allegedly impossible; even still, she was inarguably in the presence of a human, of that much she was certain.

"Pardon me, mam," Sally began, tentatively. "But may I ask where I am?"

"Oh, of course!" the woman exclaimed, quickly shutting the door behind her and bounding over to sit on the edge of the bed. "How absolutely _rude _of me, and you must be positively terrified! You're currently in _Easter Town_, and my name is Augusta Price. My husband, Lionel, and I found you unconscious last night on our way home."

_Easter Town…_Sally marveled, gazing around the room once more with the newfound knowledge. _Well, that certainly explains a lot!_

"I'm sorry, but…you found me? Here in Easter Town?"

Augusta laughed, her head falling back slightly.

"Oh, heavens no. My husband and I were returning from…_visiting friends_ in Halloween Town, and we found you sprawled out in the clearing of the Holiday Doors, completely knackered! Well we knew we couldn't simply just _leave _you there, so we elected to take you along with us and nurse you back to health. So…do you feel…hmm…healthy?"

Sally nodded halfheartedly, still trying to process the information.

"I was just…lying unconscious?"

Augusta nodded. "Most definitely…er, that is, you were running a bit, apparently, before collapsing in the place that we found you. From what though, I haven't the foggiest! In fact, Lionel and I were somewhat hoping you could shed some light on the situation…?"

Sally laughed a little and shook her head. "I'm sorry, I…I don't remember anything. I was on my way out of Halloween Town, that much I know…but I don't remember ever even reaching the forest."

Augusta sighed, clicked her tongue, and made a very insincere expression of disappointment.

"Well, that's a shame. Lionel and I were ever so curious. Well, never mind all of that, what's important is that you're safe and healthy now!"

Immediately regaining her positive nature to its fullest, Augusta rose and sauntered across the small living room to the equally-as-small kitchen in the far corner of the cottage. Sally couldn't see her completely from where she still sat on the bed, though she _could _hear the unmistakable sounds of tea being made.

"If you don't mind me asking for it," called Augusta's chime-like voice. "I'd like to know your name, miss!"

Inwardly cursing herself for being so rude as to have not already given it, Sally replied, "Oh yes, of course, it's Sally Stitches!"

The infectious giggle rang out through the small, tiled-corner that was the cottage kitchen.

"Sally Stitches? Oh how precious!"

Sally made herself not take the rather patronizing comment too personally. Certainly, Augusta's intention was not to offend, and even if it was, it was the least she could allow her most gracious host. She also suspected that the Easter Town beings were not accustom to rag dolls being sentient, and it was therefore probably much easier for them to relate on a basis they were both comfortable and familiar with.

"Thank you," Sally managed, gathering herself from the bed and realizing she was still wearing the uncomfortable bridesmaids' dress. It stood as an immediate reminder that it was not only Halloween today, but also the date of Jack and Tivona's wedding.

That is, assuming said wedding was even still taking place, given she and Jack's _mistake _last night. Her heart metaphorically sank in her chest a little, as it had been doing ever since Tivona made her appearance in Halloween Town. This time, however, the feeling was a bit more prominent and harder to ignore.

"I do hope you like tea!" chimed Augusta as she came back in the room with a full tray, successfully interrupting Sally's unpleasant train of thought.

"Oh…yes, thank you," she conceded, despite knowing that this tea would probably be sweet and pleasant and completely unappealing to her. "You're very kind."

After placing the tray on the coffee table in the middle of the living room, Augusta wrung her hands and glanced nervously at Sally.

"Forgive me if this is a foolish question, but…do you…_eat_…breakfast?"

The ragdoll nodded once more, smiling patiently. "I do, and it's not a foolish question. I can understand why one might wonder."

"Oh, thank goodness for that! Well, if you're in the mood for it, I can have some sent to you from the house kitchen. We've all just finished our morning meal, but there is more than enough left over for you."

Sally hesitated a moment, knowing full-well how empty and demanding her stomach currently was, yet also being aware of how unappetizing this human food would be. Still, she thought, she'd never actually _tried _human food. Just because it wasn't usually swimming in blood or pickled eyeballs didn't necessarily mean it would be unpalatable.

So she nodded, widening her polite grin.

"Yes, thank you, I'm quite hungry."

Augusta seemed very pleased with this answer, obviously delighted to have a guest she could cater to.

"Splendid! Then I'll away to the kitchen!"

She had only just opened the door to the cottage, however, before immediately swirling around on her heel to face Sally once more.

"Oh, and I meant to point out how lovely your frock is," she began, clearly not being entirely candid about her true opinion. Sally knew this to be a lie, simply because the dress was not only unfinished, but ripped, torn, and soiled from her mysterious activities last night. Obviously, this was hardly the definition of what Augusta would qualify as _lovely_. "But I thought, perhaps, you might want a replacement? I'd absolutely love to take you shopping this afternoon, Miss Stitches! You'll just _adore_ our downtown!"

Sally pinched either side of her dress and held out it outward to inspect the rather extensive damage. A quick look at the corner armchair, however, told her the duffle bag had apparently made it in with her after all, and so she technically had replacement dresses. Still, if Augusta's clothing was any indication of how the people dressed here, Sally would hardly fit in with what she currently had.

So she nodded for the second time that morning.

"Sure, shopping sounds like fun."

Augusta squealed again and then finally exited, attempting to close the cottage door, but somehow only making it bounce against the latch in her overwhelming mirth.

Sally sighed, both amused and charmed by Augusta's bubbly demeanor (which more-than-slightly reminded her of Ziggy) and came over to finish closing the door herself. When she got closer, however, she heard the voice of Augusta speaking to what was undoubtedly a small child, most likely a girl.

"What in the world are you loitering out here for?" Augusta asked, her teasing tone of voice betraying the demanding choice of words.

"Nothing." the small, mouse-like voice squeaked back.

"You want to see our guest, don't you, Lotte?"

When there was no squeak in response, Sally assumed the girl was probably nodding her head.

"Well then for heaven's sake, go introduce yourself, my love. It's poor manners to just stand outside someone's abode like this. Besides, poor Miss Sally could do with some welcoming words. I'm sure she's quite uncomfortable with being immersed in a town so different from her own. Go on now, darling, don't be shy!"

Sally could hear the clunky heels of Augusta's shoes crunch down the gravel walk halfway, before calling back to Lotte, "And don't forget to knock, darling!"

In anticipation of her likely guest, Sally left the door as it was and turned to the tray of tea, hoping to seem completely occupied when the girl eventually entered.

"Come in!" Sally beckoned to the ungraceful knock that soon occurred.

The hinges whined a little as the door was swung open, and a flood of the bright golden sunlight invaded the room. Squinting, Sally glanced over to see a three foot five, curly blonde-haired girl standing in the entryway. She was wearing a long dress of light blue and white with accents of various floral patterns, and had a floppy, hand-sewn doll clutched in her short arms.

She gazed fixatedly at Sally with large, curious, azure eyes. One of her hands mindlessly twisted her bottom lip as she did so, undoubtedly a sign of nervous apprehension.

"Hello," Sally said softly, offering a smile.

The girl, Lotte, didn't respond, and instead continued to stare in silence.

"Are you Mrs. Price's daughter?"

Lotte eventually nodded, her curls bouncing in a similar fashion to her mother's.

"Your name wouldn't be Lotte, would it?"

Lotte nodded again, this time more ardently. Sally chuckled a little through her nose, and proceeded to sit and continue preparing a cup of tea for herself, hopeful that the lack of attention towards her would induce the child to speak.

"What's your name?" the mousy voice finally managed.

She briefly smiled at Lotte again, not taking too much time away from preparing her tea.

"Sally Stitches."

There was another moment of silence, during which Lotte ventured a bit farther into the cottage, still staring fixedly at the tea-drinking rag doll and toying idly with her lower lip.

"Are you my ragdoll now?" the girl ventured, her voice having suddenly become much louder and coherent.

Sally looked up from her tea. "Am I…what?"

Lotte gingerly crept from the front door to the living room area, shyly standing behind a strategically placed rocking chair and eying Sally through the open slats on the back.

"Mum and Papa sometimes bring me back dolls…" she explained. "You look like a doll."

Sally thought for a moment at how to best address this concern. She could easily see how Lotte might have come to that conclusion, and the only reason she had to have asked and not assumed it was the truth was the mere fact that this ragdoll could walk and talk as easily as any human. Really, it must have all been quite confusing.

"That's also a doll you have there, isn't it?" she asked, referring to the ungainly thing that now hung pendulously from Lotte's elbow.

Lotte nodded, coming out a little from behind the rocking chair.

"Does she have a name?"

"Yes, it's Lucy."

"Is Lucy your friend?"

Lotte seemed to consider this prospect for a moment by staring down at spineless Lucy and never ceasing to tug pensively at her lip. Finally, she met Sally's eyes again, seeming to have come to a conclusion.

"Yes, Lucy's my friend."

"Well, then since I am also a ragdoll, like Lucy, why don't I be _your friend_?" she offered. "It sounds so much less formal than '_your ragdoll'_, don't you think, Lotte?"

Lotte nodded again, having now revealed herself completely from behind the makeshift hiding spot.

"Lucy can take off her arm," Lotte felt compelled to point out. "But it doesn't hurt her."

Her perpetual stare at Sally suddenly became undeniably expectant, and it didn't take long for Sally to deduce what it was Lotte hoped she would demonstrate.

So she grinned wickedly and pinched two loops of string on her left shoulder before saying, "So can I."

With a purposeful tug, the thread holding her arm securely in place came unraveled, and her arm fell to the rug beneath coffee table in a shower of dry brown leaves.

Lotte clapped a hand over mouth, gasping in delight.

"And it doesn't hurt in the slightest," Sally announced triumphantly, gathering her arm up from the floor and holding it like one would a trophy.

This gesture seemed to be sufficient to make the young girl's metaphorical walls fall down, as she immediately hopped up onto the couch beside Sally without the slightest hesitation.

"Can I touch it, can I touch it?" she asked, bouncing on her ankles and reaching out for the severed appendage.

Sally smiled wider and more sincerely than she had in a very long time, and allowed Lotte to inspect her arm.


	15. Chapter 13 Howl

_Chapter 13- Howl_

**A/N- **Woooo, another chapter! As long my schedule and inspiration allows, I should keep churning these puppies out like butter. School is on the horizon, however, so past Jan. 18th I can't say the updates will be as frequent. STILL, I'm totally enamored with writing this story and as long as that sticks around the chapters will most definitely come.

Okay, on to our chapter notes...this one is _somewhat _uneventful. I meant for a lot more to happen in it than it did, but as I got further into it I began to realize it needed to be cut off earlier. I would say this chapter is more of an plot/character development and/or exploration type thing than a good advancement of the story. That will come in our next chapter, hopefully. The title, I might point out, is an allusion to the Florence and The Machine song with the same name. Various aspects of this chapter reminded me a lot of that song, and if you listen to and/or read the lyrics you might just see the connection. So let's say that's the theme song of this chapter, eh?

Alrighty, the rest of this stuff I think I'm going to address at the end of the chapter once you've finished reading. I won't have to speak as vaguely that way and you'll see more where I'm coming from. So if you have any questions, please keep them to yourself until the end! Thank you! ;D

Oh, and of course, another huge, ass-kissing thank you to all of my loyal readers AND those of you who are just now making your way through this. I really appreciate that you've taken an interest in something that gives me so much joy to write. Hopefully, I can continue to bring you much of the same! Share your thoughts with me and let me know what can be improved. Thanks!

**Disclaimer- **Still not mine (though now growing to be about 50% mine, what with all the OCs milling around)

* * *

The three of them strutted out of the woods and down the hill to the town as casually possible. It wasn't very hard though, seeing as how one of them was a Vampire Lord, the other a werewolf, and the third a frigid ghost, rendering them the most 'Don't-Fuck-With-Us' sort of group to ever wander together in the dead of night. They were well aware of the fact, too.

"Yeh off to see that lil' strumpet o' yers, are yeh, milord?" Horace asked Septimus, suggestively wiggling his thick, hairy eyebrows.

Forming his typical, sly, half-grin, Septimus nodded and straightened the lapels of his coat.

"As a matter of fact, I am. I'm quite looking forward to this particular call, as I'll be turning her…as per her request, of course."

"And I assume you have her eating out of the palm of your hand?" Agnes ventured in her typical, judgmental sort-of-Agnes-way. "I'd expect nothing less of the _Great Lord Septimus Belvoir_…or a bratty git like her."

Septimus waved off her comment, as he did to most of them.

"Now, now, Miss Miller, let us not forget that this _bratty git _will be our ticket to the throne. She's a necessity, no matter how ignorant she might be."

Interrupting their banter was the sudden sight of a young, adult female figure fleeing the town. She was far enough away and close enough to the town gates to not see them, but they were far enough up on the hill to –almost- plainly see her.

"What've we got 'ere?" Horace wondered aloud, audibly licking his chops.

Septimus squinted and knelt forward, trying to get a better look even in the dim glow of the moon.

"Ah," he eventually exhaled, leaning back into his standard swagger. "It appears to be that ragdoll girl."

Agnes turned to look at the vampire inquisitively. "You mean that one that works for the King? The one who threatens our plan?"

Septimus didn't answer right away, as he was currently surveying the girl the same way a vulture might a dying animal.

"Yes, Miss Miller, the very same."

He then raised a hand and beckoned Horace to come closer to him, never removing his eyes from the fleeing doll.

"I want you to pursue her," he whispered sharply into the canal of the furry ear. "And I _don't _want her to turn up tomorrow. Do I make myself clear?"

"But sir," Horace began to protest. "I don't know 'ow-"

Septimus turned his head sharply to glare at his unhelpful party member. He also smoothly tossed his cloak to the side, revealing the handle of a pistol that glinted brightly in the soft moonlight.

Horace whimpered, his ears flattening back on his head and his tail folding unattractively between his legs.

"I though' I smelled silver, I did!"

Septimus sneered and threw the corner of his cloak back into place. "And you shall be smellingit in _your gut_, Mr. Clearwater, if you don't do as I say."

With another dog-like moan, Horace quickly scampered off in preparation to execute the order.

"'Rather soon of you to be killing her off," Agnes pointed out, amused. "Are you sure this isn't somewhat premature?"

Septimus chuckled in his throat and beckoned the two of them onwards in a continued path towards town.

"Agnes, my dear, you sell me too short."

_Meanwhile_, Horace awaited the inevitable arrival of the ragdoll from behind a thick tree trunk. He could hear her footsteps growing closer every minute, and his heart pounded louder in his ears with every step.

This wasn't because he was _afraid _or anything, at least not of the ragdoll, specifically. The issue was that Horace didn't exactly know how to maim and kill a doll, particularly one that could dismember herself at any moment without any pain and just as quickly sew herself back up. If this were just about any other creature, he would have simply torn them into a million different pieces and left the residents of Halloween Town to continue finding bits of them years later.

Obviously, this wouldn't be enough to _kill _Sally. He had considered fire, but given that he'd have to work quickly and had no means to achieve one rapidly (unless he were willing to tie the doll up to a pyre somehow and ask that she keep quiet while he rub sticks and stones together) that option was out.

Then again, Septimus had never specified that Horace had to _kill_ the target. He was often very direct about that sort of thing, but this time he had simply asked that she not turn up the next day (or any other days in the near future, presumably). Theoretically speaking, Horace could still go about his usual approach of tearing the victim up extensively. Again, this wouldn't leave Sally dead, but it certainly would take her a hell of a long time to put herself back together.

He decided this was the best option at his disposal, and so he continued to wait with a newfound sense of confidence.

Eventually, his prey entered the woods and got far enough ahead of him to not be able to see him leap from behind the trunk. This he did as stealthily as a cat, and yet she still seemed to sense his movement, and so turned around to see what had caused it.

Upon first sight of the towering, hairy monstrosity that was Horace, Sally shrieked and began to run as fast as she possibly could in the opposite direction. Excited to be getting a chase out of the deal (because Horace never liked his prey to be _too_ willing or easy), he set off behind her, leaping through the tops of trees so as to quickly catch up and, hopefully, pounce on her from above.

But Sally was surprisingly fast and agile for a ragdoll, much to Horace's chagrin. When the pursuit had continued for far longer than he would have preferred and not one of his tactics seemed to be working in the slightest, he frustratingly decided he'd have to approach this situation the same way he would a particularly difficult target. And here he was thinking he'd be done within half-an-hour!

So he stopped moving altogether and pulled back a little, allowing Sally to gain some distance ahead of him. She eventually came to the realization that she was no longer being pursued and, as he had anticipated, paused to collect herself and halfheartedly insure the coast was clear.

He took advantage of her moment of relief, catching back up to where she was by bounding soundlessly from tree to tree. By the time his plan became apparent to her, it was too late; he had leapt from the treetops and landed, flatfooted, right in front of her.

She inhaled sharply and he smiled, revealing two rows of pointed, ivory teeth, glistening with saliva in the glow of the moon.

"'ello, pet." He growled.

Sally abandoned her inclination to courtesy and fled without acknowledging his sarcastic greeting. He followed quickly after, now hot on her heels and almost within a sufficient proximity to swipe out a claw. They were closing in fast to the clearing of Holiday doors, and because she made no other evasive maneuvers, Horace assumed this had been her destination all along. When they arrived, he'd strike.

Before she could so much as step one foot into the pool of luminescence that lit the empty circle, Horace raised his muscled arm and brought it down with a forceful smack on the back of her head. This sent her flying unconscious into the clearing, where she landed on the forest floor in a pile of motionless limbs.

He remained in the shadow for just a moment, eyeing his now helpless, defenseless prey as he decided where on her body he'd start ripping first.

But it was then that the familiar, metallic scent of silver shot through his sensitive nostrils and into his brain like a steel knife. He reeled backwards, clutching his head and striving through the pain to see where it was coming from. He knew that it had to have been something that was approaching fast, as the scent was strengthening and it was becoming increasingly difficult to remain close to the clearing.

Just when his head felt that it might explode, Horace forced himself to retreat farther. He cursed himself over and over, wanting to remain, knowing he needed to fulfill his duty, and yet feeling as though maintaining this proximity might be sufficient to kill him.

He finally chose to hide himself behind the closest tree trunk and wait. Hopefully, he thought, whatever was responsible for creating the stench would eventually move on, leaving him free to go about his business.

Two individuals he almost immediately recognized as the Easter Town Representatives eventually stepped out of the cavernous forest and into the small oasis of light. The source of his discomfort also made itself apparent, as it was currently in the clutches of Mr. Lionel Price. The man kept the pistol out and at the ready for a few moments more, before finally securing it back in its holster and aiding his wife with the unconscious doll before them.

Horace guessed they'd only inspect her for a moment, assume she was dead and aptly fall back into their own portal, so it came as something of a surprise when Lionel gathered her into his arms and Augusta collected her duffle bag. Equipped with her sleeping form, the three were then enveloped into the pink cloud.

He remained where he was only for a few moments more, trying to decide if this would be a sufficient alternative to Sally's former demise. This way unfortunately allowed for the possibility that she might come back. Then again, Horace reasoned, she had to have been leaving town for _some _reason and her bag of goods indicated that she was not planning a rapid return. It seemed far more likely that she would decide to stay with the Prices for as long as possible. Even if she did leave, it would no doubt be for another Holiday Town.

Besides, he was neither willing nor eager to step foot in a place that emitted pink, pleasant-smelling clouds. Not only would it be torture to him, but in comparison to the sort of beings that no doubt dwelled there, he'd stick out like a sore thumb. It's not as if he'd be able to nonchalantly sneak by and tear up a ragdoll without being noticed.

His mind made up, Horace departed the dense forest, direly hoping that Septimus would never have to learn of this evening's snafu.

* * *

He wakened with a jolt, feeling as though a bolt of lightning had struck his mattress. He then sat up fully, breathing heavily and scrambling to collect the many loose pieces that now floated uncontrolled in his mind.

The bedroom was pitch black, save for the small ray of cold, dawn light that attempted to leak in through a tear in his heavy curtain. Finding he couldn't stand the glacial loneliness this darkness seemed to be procuring within him, he hoisted himself up and ripped the curtains open. The room was then very dimly lit with what little light accompanied this early hour and it successfully brought him some relief, although miniscule.

Not wanting to risk a return to slumber and the unsettling dreams that accompanied it, he chose to sit in a nearby armchair instead of lounging back on his bed. Sighing, he tried yet again to compose himself and piece together all that had occurred last night.

Sally was gone. He was almost sure that had not been a dream, even if he'd very much like to pinch himself and wake up and find out it wasn't true. It was also very much a reality that he had forced himself upon her, his impulsivity once more getting the best of him, and had managed to lose his closest friend and betray his future wife, nearly losing her as well (all in one night, too, which had to have been some kind of sick record). Where she had gone, he didn't know, and it was that one piece of knowledge that haunted him more than anything else. Would he _ever_ see her again?

A soft knock then came at the door, and he paused from his thoughts to momentarily beckon the person in. He had no reason or right to hide his grief, as far as he was concerned. Let everyone know of the weight that now sat on Jack Skellington's chest, he decided.

"Jack, _horrific morning_, I was hoping we could go over-"

Why Victor was suddenly interrupted from his fevered sentence, Jack didn't quite know. He assumed it had something to do with the very morose way he sat in the armchair, his brow obscured by his cradling hand.

"Umm…is…everything alright…?" Victor tentatively ventured.

Jack could hear his slow, hesitant footsteps growing closer. As they did so, he remembered that Victor had not been a partied to all that occurred last night. Knowing his friend's distaste for gossip, he also guessed Victor would probably not have found out by word of mouth.

"Sally's gone," was all Jack could manage in one groan. "It's all my fault…"

The footsteps stopped a moment as Victor probably adjusted his tie in nervousness. He then cleared his throat and continued his approach.

"Okay, alright…" he answered calmly.

"_What have I done?_" Jack demanded to know, now splaying himself dramatically and allowing his skull to hang over the arm of the chair. "_What is wrong with me_?"

Victor's hands were soon on Jack's radius and ulna bones, trying somewhat futilely to tug him back into a normal, sitting position.

"Alright, now there's no need to get overwhelmed, Jack…"

Eventually the skeleton found himself being formed back into his former position. He didn't make the task very easy for his friend, however, inclined as he was to dismally go limp.

With his hands finally in a holding position on Jack's shoulders, Victor knelt before him and managed to meet his eye sockets.

"Alright…now why don't we just start from the beginning?"

"Victor, really…you don't have to hold me in place like this…"

"I won't if you promise not to go into physical theatrics."

Jack nodded and Victor eventually removed his grip, still eyeing the skeleton doubtfully, sure that at any moment he would try to melt once more on to the floor. He still sat himself in the armchair directly in front of Jack's to at least allow him the benefit of the doubt.

"Victor…I'm all but convinced that I'm not the stupidest creature in this town…"

"Well, you're not," Victor replied after a moment. "Don't forget the Behemoth has an axe stuck in his skull. You can't be less than 10 IQ points above him."

Jack couldn't help a reluctant chuckle at that, which Victor shared.

"You might just want to revise that statement after I tell you what happened last night."

The half-vampire then leaned back in his seat, nearly certain that Jack wouldn't try to disintegrate again and interested in what was going to be said.

"I…I kissed Sally."

A deathly silence suddenly blanketed, filled, and suffocated the room like thick smog. Out of shame, Jack refused to look in any proximity of Victor's face. Had he done so, however, he would have caught sight of the widest-eyed expression his friend had ever and would ever make.

Gradually, Victor's mouth came open, but the shock of this prior statement prevented any coherent word from making its immediate way out.

"You…uhm…y-y-you…" he swallowed, still making a valiant attempt to accept this simple recount as fact. "You….kissed….S-Sally?"

Jack only nodded, his hand once more obscuring his eye line. "And not only that, but we were seen by one or more of the bridesmaids…"

Victor coughed and wiggled uncomfortably in his seat.

"Oh dear. Well, this is certainly not the most fortuitous of circumstances to be in…particularly the morning of your wedding."

"Tivona forgave me," Jack assured, assuming that was something Victor would be concerned about. "Not easily, but she did."

"Well…thank heavens for that."

"Yes, I intend to."

The smog of silence came back for a brief interval, neither one of the pair knowing how to appropriately fill the void.

"Well, then…" Victor finally said. "I…I suppose this begs the question…uhm…_why_?"

Jack abruptly rose from his seat and Victor almost immediately recognized it as the typical second stage of his friend's sulking pattern; getting restless.

"Oh, for crying out loud, _I don't know_…she was standing there…I was standing there…the moment was…what it was…"

"What _was_ it exactly, Jack?"

Jack groaned and strode to the window and gazed fixedly out of it at the rising jack-o-lantern sun.

"I just…oh, I don't know…it was just an odd moment…"

Victor sighed and tented his fingers together pensively.

"Alright, so you kissed her and then…"

"And then she left, ran off…just after Tivona ordered me to banish her…"

"…_did _you banish her…?"

"Of course not. I would've never been able…"

It felt as though Jack might have had more to add to this thought, but since the sentence naturally dwindled into nothingness, Victor chose to not press the issue. Furthermore, he was still trying to digest the whole thing to the best of his ability and sort through his emotions so that neither jealousy nor anger was anywhere near the top of the pile.

"Jack…" he began, more than a bit hesitant. "I hope you won't find this question too forward, but I _do _think it's something you should consider, circumstances being what they are…that is…do you, perhaps, find that you may have…_feelings _for Sally?"

Jack acknowledged an odd tone in his friend's voice toward the very end of this question, one that he hadn't ever heard him use before. If it were anyone else at all, he might have defined it as tinted with suspicion or even slightly contemptuous. But this was Victor he was talking to and it was amusing in and of itself to imagine Victor being any of those things. He therefore allowed himself to forget the strange choice of inflection, supposing it may have had something to do with the dryness of the air in the room.

He still didn't answer Victor's question right away, because he wasn't entirely sure even he knew the answer. It was possible a part of him did, but of what good would it be to fish that truth out and hang it on display? It would be a disastrous venture, Jack knew, and he hoped that if he made an effort to bury it deep within it would eventually become so stowed away it wouldn't be able to escape and he'd forget it altogether.

Or so he hoped, anyway.

But it was in that moment that Jack was reminded of the circumstances of Sally's departure. Finally being in a state of complete, awake sobriety, he was allowed to feel the full force of his dread and worry.

"Oh my god, Victor…what if she-?"

Victor raised an eyebrow, unsure of what he was getting at.

"Oh my god, Victor…oh my god…she didn't go home last night…she _couldn't _have…!"

Jack had at this point abandoned his pensive staring out the window in favor of distressed, frenzied pacing around the surface area of his bedchambers. He grabbed his skull direly with one hand, and clutched the other in a fist behind his back, as he so often did in situations like this. Victor immediately rose and made futile attempts to calm and still him.

"Alright, alright, let's just-"

"Victor! What if she's hurt? What if she's sick? What if she…ohnoohnoohno…"

Jack suddenly made a bee line for the door, not so much as hesitating to consider street clothes or at least throwing a coat over his pajamas. He probably would have made it, had Victor not been as quick as he was to dive in front of the doorknob.

"Victor, please, I have to go after her!"

The half-vampire shook his head, staunchly refusing to move his person out of the way.

"Jack, you _can't, _and you know it. For one thing, she's probably perfectly safe in her flat. I doubt she would have left to go anywhere in the dead of the night. For another, I _seriously_ doubt your blushing bride would be very pleased with you going after a woman you _kissed_ last night!"

Jack tried to reach around Victor's thin frame and nudge him out of the way, but his friend proved stronger and more agile than he looked.

"Listen," Victor stated with finality as he took a firm hold of Jack's wrist. "I'll go look for her…immediately. _You_ stay here and try to relax a little. Read or something…take a walk with Zero…whatever it is you need to do to unwind. I promise you I'll be back soon with good news, alright?"

The Skeleton King did visibly ease back a little, the metaphorical fires that drove him seeming to dwindle. He breathed a heavy, cathartic sigh and allowed his wrist to slacken in Victor's grasp.

"You're right…" he groaned. "I'm overreacting, I-….I'm just a bundle of nerves…"

"Yes, to say the very least!"

Victor finally released him and Jack drug himself back over to the small living area, plopping back down in the armchair he formerly occupied.

"Try to cut down on all of the sulking while I'm gone," Victor advised as he opened the door. "It's going to do you no favors."

He then disappeared out into the hall, closing Jack back in with the dark silence. Deciding then that he simply couldn't spend one more minute in cavernous isolation, Jack rose and prepared to dress, planning to take his friend's advice and catch some fresh air with Zero.

* * *

As she wheeled a full rack of wedding clothes down the mansion hallway, Gloria cheerfully hummed 'Somebody's Getting Married' under her breath. This uncharacteristic happiness on her part stemmed not so much from the fact that a wedding was going to take place, but from the knowledge that it would soon be over and she wouldn't have to endure Tivona's bridezilla-esque behavior any longer. Furthermore, she'd finally be getting paid for the extensive job and would be able to catch up on her un-wedding related orders that had been reluctantly swept aside the past week (also Tivona would be out of town on her honeymoon for about a week and a half, which was a delight in and of itself).

When she arrived at the bedroom door of the bride, she instructed the skeleton servant aiding her to wheel the outfits to a specific location until the magic folk were done conjuring the castle and, subsequently, the chapel. Meanwhile, she'd make an effort to rouse the no doubt very sleepy bride (who should have been up and at 'em an hour ago).

"Alright, sleepin' beauty…" Gloria croaked as she heaved open the door. "Time to rise and shine...it's yer weddin' day, after all…"

Gloria would have considered herself lucky to have heard a noise in reply, that is, a _normal _noise like an argumentative moan or a shift in the covers. Instead, however, she was greeted with the most terrifyingly horrific gurgling that she'd ever heard emit from a pitch black space. This really wouldn't have bothered her so much (in fact, in some cases she might have even congratulated the maker of the noise for sounding so scary) had it been anyone but who it was that supposedly made it. This was most definitely _not_ a Tivona noise, not even on the worst of days.

Trying not to panic too much, Gloria waddled over to the window as fast as she possibly could and opened the curtains, hopeful to literally shed some light on the situation. When she turned around, however, she somewhat wished she hadn't done either.

Lying there in the bed was definitely Tivona, looking better than ever, in Gloria's opinion. However, her skin being a sallow, nearly-grey white, her eyes red and yellowed like those of a sufferer of jaundice, and foam emitting from her mouth like a rabid dog was clearly not a state of wellbeing for her. Almost as soon as Gloria had opened the curtain, Tivona's tossing and turning became significantly more fevered, and she began hissing and thrashing against the mattress, sending flecks of said foam flying everywhere.

"Holy crap, what in the heck's happened to you?" Gloria wondered aloud, not really expecting a coherent answer.

Tivona unsurprisingly didn't give one, instead continuing to scream and hiss and flail. It didn't take long for Gloria to realize that _something_ needed to be done, and so she shuffled back across the room out into the hallway, hopeful that some method of assistance would present itself. She supposed it would probably help if she knew what the devil was going on with the girl in the first place, but since that clearly would not be at her disposal, she'd have to probably find someone who _would_. That was step one, anyway.

As she mentally assessed who in the town would be the most likely to know what was afflicting the bride, the sound of a man's dress shoes tapping across the marble floor caught her momentarily off guard. She looked in the direction of the steadily approaching noise and saw that the creator was none other than the very handsome, very debonair Lord Belvoir. He appeared to already be decked out in his formal best, despite the fact that the ceremony itself wouldn't be taking place until that evening. In addition to his typical cane, he also appeared to have an umbrella on his person, which was rather unusual given he didn't normally venture outside during daylight. Nevertheless, Gloria inwardly appreciated the sight of him, as she typically did whenever given the chance.

"Horrific morning, Mrs. Dobberstein. Is there some trouble?" he asked charmingly.

"As a matter of fact, yeah. There's somethin' _really _off with Tivona this mornin'. I mean, she looks fantastic, but somethin' tells me it ain't right. I don't rightly know what ta do."

Septimus smiled comfortingly as he approached her, placing a hand on her large shoulder as soon as he was within a sufficient proximity.

"Perhaps I should have a look at her, then, shall I?"

Gloria nodded, blushing ever-so-slightly. "Yeah, sure. 'Ain't nothin' I can do."

He nodded to her and proceeded onward into the bedroom, Gloria following quickly behind. Almost as soon as he had stepped foot within, he quickly rushed to the window and shut the curtains with a snap. Knowing that he no doubt did this for his own sake, Gloria proceeded to light a couple of lamps around the room to provide him some unnatural light. As she did so, however, she noticed that Tivona was no longer on top of the bed.

"_Tivona…_" Septimus called, kneeling so that he could see directly underneath the bed. "Tivona, my darling, I have something for you…there's no reason to be afraid, the light is gone…"

He then pulled something from his coat pocket and held it out alluringly to her. Gloria couldn't exactly see what the item was, however. Eventually, Tivona seemed sufficiently entranced by the mystery item and came crawling out from the darkness on hands and knees, still producing a copious amount of foam.

"That's a good girl," the Vampire Lord cooed. He then took her in his arms, sat on her on his lap, and –after wiping the excess foam from her mouth with a handkerchief- began feeding her from what Gloria could now see was a bottle. A bottle of what, though, she still didn't know, as the container was colored a solid black. The sight itself was a little ridiculous she had to admit, as Tivona looked like nothing less than an oversized infant.

When the bottle began to make those gurgles of emptiness, Tivona started looking a bit more like she normally did. Her skin returned to being its typical snow white, her lips were once more the dark red and sans foam, and her eyes were their characteristic golden-violet. She blinked once or twice as Septimus removed the bottle from her mouth, looking almost as though she had just awoken from a heavy slumber.

"Wh-wha-what…happened?" she mistily wondered to no one in particular.

Septimus gathered her in his arms and carried her over to the bed, gently laying her back down on the mattress when he arrived. Despite having more-or-less returned to _normal_, Tivona appeared to be in some dreamlike, drug-induced type state of awareness, as she began smiling stupidly up at Septimus and idly toying with the golden buttons on his jacket.

"Mmm…Septimus…I missed you _so _much…" she murmured. "It's been _so _long since I saw you…"

"Hush now, darling," he urged softly but firmly, trying to tuck her ungainly form back into the covers. "Hush now and rest."

Tivona began an off-key humming of some unrecognizable song once Septimus had gotten her securely tucked-in. Ignoring her, he walked around the area of the bed and over to Gloria on the opposite side of the room.

Before she could bring up the most obvious question at hand, Septimus interrupted her.

"How much will you require in return for promising that you _won't _ask me what's going on and that you _won't _tell anyone about this?"

She mulled this over for a minute before giving him a defined amount.

"I will also need you to administer this to her whenever she gets hard to manage," he continued, fishing out two other identical bottles to the one he'd had before. "This should last you for the next four or five hours. In the meantime, I'll have some more brought over."

He turned on his heel, preparing to swiftly exit the room when Gloria stopped him with a mention of, "It's gonna cost ya a bit more for this last part, my Lord."

He shrugged off the demand with a passive, conceding nod and continued on his way. As soon as she was certain he was out of the room, Gloria allowed curiosity to get the better of her and she peeked in the bottles to see what substance was responsible for the miraculous healing.

_Meanwhile, _Septimus walked hastily and purposefully across the mansion hallway, hoping against hope that his being here would go largely unnoticed by those who mattered. He hated having to go out like this anyway, but needs must in dire situations. Had he been gifted with the foresight to know that Tivona's 'first day' would be especially difficult, he would have waited until this evening. It would have certainly put a damper on the wedding night, but at least she would have been officially married to the King.

Therefore, his goal for the day was a simple one; see that the wedding go off without a hitch (or at least not one that was so enormous it ruined the whole thing). To do this, he'd have to make sure Tivona remained amply satisfied and nourished, and it wouldn't be a necessarily easy task. Inevitably though, she'd improve as the day wore on and by evening he expected she'd be able to walk effortlessly down the aisle and say her vows. He profusely thanked his lucky stars that they had decided the ceremony should be at night. That was a turn of pure luck, at no mistake.

At that moment, Septimus noticed a door open farther down the hall, followed by a familiar figure emerging from it. When he realized the figure was none other than the half-breed, vampire delivery boy for the blood bank, he wondered where this surplus amount of fortune had come from and why it had chosen this precise moment to rain down upon him- not that he was complaining, of course.

"You there, boy!" he called, almost advancing to a trot so as to catch him before he staggered off. "Hold on there, I have a job for you!"

The delivery boy did as he was told, turning around to face Septimus fully.

"Yes, my lord, what can I do for you?" he asked politely as soon as the he had caught up with him.

"I need about five, sixteen-ounce bottles to be delivered here as soon as possible. Mrs. Dobberstein will know what to do with them."

He then produced a rather generous amount of reimbursement and held it out in offering. In turn, the half-breed eyed the amount skeptically, hesitating from immediately acquiescing to the request as Septimus had hoped he would.

"Sir, if I may say so, that seems like a terribly odd-"

"I don't doubt your brothers would appreciate a bit more reticence from you in these matters, boy," he interrupted sharply. "I'm not paying you to interrogate me, after all, I'm paying you to make a delivery. Now either do so or lose both my business and a handsome tip and gain a personal complaint from me to your older siblings. Do I make myself clear?"

The half-breed nodded obediently and graciously accepted the amount.

"Y-yes sir, f-f-forgive me. I spoke out of turn."

The boy then turned and skittered the opposite way, turning the corner towards the flight of stairs and disappearing.

Septimus scoffed at his departure and ground his cane into the floor.

"Indeed you did, half-breed."

* * *

Having finally pulled on one of her casual dresses (relieved beyond words to be out of the shabby curtain that was the bridesmaid's dress) Sally stepped outside of the guest cottage to meet back up with Lotte, who waited patiently for her just beside the door.

Though she had gotten some idea of what the outside world would be like here in Easter Town, she realized she truly had no concept of it until now. The yellow sun, though in many ways brighter and more prominent, was not as intrusive as the low one in Halloween Town; she didn't have to squint her eyes as hard as she expected she would. The temperature of the air was especially peculiar, being not remotely cool or chilly, but not exactly _warm_ either. It was some odd balance of the two that Sally couldn't quite say she had ever experienced before.

The biggest and most noticeable difference between her world and this was the vastly different amounts of vegetation. Shades of vivid pastel were literally all around her; the robin's egg blue of the sky, the bright emerald of the grass and trees, the various pinks, yellows, purples, blues and thousands of other colors that made up the varied palate of flowers. It was admittedly quite overwhelming at first, but as she allowed herself to become accustom to the differences, she began to draw parallels to the art of the impressionists from the living world. In particular, it reminded her of the work of Monet (about whom Dr. Finkelstein had a book that Sally had read with relish more than once) and especially those of his garden in Giverny. The connection made her unfamiliarity ease off a bit, and she even allowed herself to pretend that she had stepped into one of his paintings.

Just then, a small, clammy hand quickly grasped a hold of hers'. Sally didn't need to look down to know to whom it belonged.

"Come on, Miss Sally," Lotte urged, beginning to tug her towards the main house. "Mama's waiting!"

Clearly, Lotte had more than gotten over her former apprehension towards their guest, seeing as how the both of them had taken the time to bond over tea, breakfast, and a severed arm. Sally also guessed that her being a doll probably helped, given that they were Lotte's particularly favorite kind of company.

As she was pulled down the gravel walk, Sally took another opportunity to survey the large house before her and the grounds upon which it sat. The house itself was larger –not taller- than most any of the buildings in Halloween Town. It was almost completely white, save for the grey tiled roofs and light teal window shutters. A porch wound completely around the downstairs perimeter and every upstairs window had a balcony that jutted out from it. One particular room stood higher than the rest of the house, seemingly aspiring to be a tower but just not quite making it.

Behind the house was a dense cluster of forest that oddly seemed neither cavernous nor remotely intimidating. On the other side of the gravel road that ran beside the house was completely empty pasture and beyond that, more of the same forest.

"Ah, Sally, there you are!"

Augusta's voice seemed to resonate around the entirety of the plantation, even as she stood confined to the front porch.

"I'm bringing her, mama!" Lotte announced proudly, still pulling Sally behind her as though she were a wagon or unruly dog on a leash.

When the both of them arrived at the threshold to the front porch, Augusta laughed heartily and it seemed to make her whole, pink face glow with mirth.

"Well, I see _someone_ has made fast friends!"

She then descended the front steps and walked on to the path, immediately linking elbows with Sally once she was close enough.

"I must say I'm very pleased to see that she has warmed up to you so quickly," she mentioned softly, probably hoping Lotte wouldn't hear. "She doesn't often do that, you know. _Very antisocial_, she is."

Sally felt somewhat inclined to admit that she wasn't a very social being either, and that there wasn't necessarily anything wrong with being more introverted than some. But she eventually thought better of it and simply nodded in understanding, allowing her hostess to lead her down the path towards a horse-drawn carriage that awaited them at the end. As they walked, Sally couldn't help but notice that Augusta was especially floral-scented, a marked difference from the musky way beings normally smelled where she came from. It was neither better nor worse, really, just an observed contrast.

As the two women piled into the carriage, Augusta began listing all of the minute details about their downtown and assuring her guest more than once that she'd _absolutely love it. _Just as she began a rather one-sided lecture on what dresses would probably best accentuate Sally's figure (something that Sally was only partially paying attention to) the carriage jostled with the addition of another's weight.

"Now, Lotte!" Augusta exclaimed to her mischievously-grinning daughter who had claimed the empty spot beside their guest. "We've talked about this. You're not going with us and that's that! Besides, I'm sure Miss Sally would appreciate a respite from you for a few hours. You can play with her when we come back!"

Sally leaned forward so that Lotte wouldn't be able to hear her whisper softly to her mother.

"I actually don't mind, Mrs. Price…"

Augusta sighed, though only with slightly amused resignation. It was seemingly impossible for this particular woman to ever be legitimately displeased or even remotely agitated, and it was a trait of hers that Sally was coming to admire greatly. It must have taken a very strong person to be that way, she guessed.

"Alright then, Lotte, you can come. But _only _this once and _only _because Miss Sally says it's alright. I don't want you to start getting any ideas!"

Lotte bounced in her seat triumphantly, and Sally supposed that despite her mother's best efforts, _ideas _were exactly what she would be taking away from this experience.

On Augusta's word the driver set the carriage in motion and the three of them relaxed back in their seats as they bounced down the bumpy road, the house gradually disappearing behind the forest that surrounded it.

* * *

**A/N- **End chapter notes!

The Horace/Silver Detection- This is something I haven't seen done before with werewolves (and if you have, please let me know where so I can check it out and credit the original creator of the idea) and it just occurred to me as I was writing. Much like how the vampires are equipped with an inherent allure that can be used to attract and control their prey, werewolves (in the universe of this fic, of course) are equipped with the ability to sense the presence of silver by way of scent; both are, of course, survival techniques and I thought,'If real life beings have these, why don't mythological creatures?'. As you saw with Horace, the silver is so detrimental to them (kind of like kryptonite to Superman) that even the scent of any amount of uncovered silver can give them migraines (so, like a pistol with silver bullets in a holster would be a tolerable thing, though the werewolf might still detect a hint of it). So it's not so much a _silver bullet _specifically that must be used to kill them, it can be silver in any form. But probably just touching them with the silver wouldn't do much more than burn their skin, so the practicality of using a gun to shoot into them is somewhat obvious.

Jack & Victor Scene- Okay, I'll be honest and admit that I like writing these two together, so this scene was kind of a self-service. Still, though, a necessary self-service IMO. I'm beginning to realize just how much Jack's character relies on Victor and Sally's wisdom/insight/advice/sanity and I'm also beginning to see that a triumvirate like this is definitely something Jack's character _needs_. The thing with Jack is that he's so impulsive (as has been established), gregarious, energetic, and inadvertently selfish as a result of all of this. I'm not calling Jack's character bad or horrible in using the word _selfish, _I mean it in the sense that he doesn't really think through decisions or situations and often takes it for granted that other people will be as enthusiastic about something as he is, hence the whole 'Stealing Christmas' thing (he _assumes _that Sandy Claws will love the idea, he _assumes _that everyone in the town will love it, he _assumes _that all will go off without a hitch). He's not intentionally selfish (like Tivona or Septimus) and he only ever has the best interests of others at heart. But he really does need people who are more subdued and practical to tug on the reigns a little, as it were. Also, he's prone to dramatics and I think it also helps him to have someone around to slap him in the face and help him out of his funk. The only problem is that neither Victor nor Sally (at least at this point) are very aggressive or forth-right people, and so it sometimes becomes difficult for either of them to successfully talk sense into Jack. Nevertheless, they (being introverted, practical characters) also need someone who's a bit more the 'opposite way' and bring them out of their shell a little. So, all-in-all, it's an important relationship for all three and I intend to use it to my advantage as the story progresses.

Tivona's First Day As a Blood-Sucker- So...yeah, I might just be borrowing a concept from Twilight...again. IDK, it's very possible the concept of the 'newborn' vampire thing occurs in more legitimate vampire lore, but I had never really heard about it before the aforementioned book series. I wasn't originally going to do this, but just like the silver/werewolf thing, it seemed like a logical, if not necessary thing to include. In the universe of this fic, the difficulty of 'first day out' varies for everyone. I think it can be assumed that most new vampires don't react as violently as Tivona did, because Septimus isn't an idiot and wouldn't have bit her so soon if he knew he ran a high risk of jeopardizing the wedding. I would guess that most new vampires need more blood than usual on their first day, lest the _eventually _start channeling the Exorcist like Tivona was when she woke up. They also probably don't usually act like they've been od-ing on painkillers either. Nevertheless, I'm looking forward to using Tivona's state of delirium to my advantage, especially towards the effort of some (hopeful) laughs during a rather dreaded wedding ceremony.

Also, and this relates to the review LynxbyLynx left, but I was rather surprised he/she mentioned in that they _liked _Tivona's character earlier in the story. I didn't make Tivona to be an immediately likable character, not even remotely, so I'd be curious to know what it was those of you who liked/like her found likable. I suppose I can see how you might sympathize with her a little at the beginning what with the mention of her rather empty and lonely existence (which I used to give some depth to her character as well as an explanation for some of her motives). And if you STILL like her at all, please, please, please tell me why. I don't mean to disrespect your opinion, I'm just very interested to know why!


	16. Chapter14 Inevitable,That's What You Are

_ Chapter 14- Inevitable, That's What You Are_

**A/N- **The simple explanation for this chapter is that is was meant to be a bit longer. For this reason, a lot of the stuff that happens here may seem more like exposition and not actual plot-furthering activity. I just didn't want the chapter itself to be longer than Tolstoy's 'War and Peace'. So, all-in-all, I hope you still find it an enjoyable read and in the meantime, just hang tight. The next chapter _should _have a lot more going on. BTW, keep an eye out a certain Burton character who'll be making a brief, almost blink-once-and-you-won't-see-it sort of cameo about midway through the chapter. Hint- This is not a character who is limited to the Burton franchise, in fact, his/her appearance in that particular film was something of a cameo as well. That's all I'm gonna say ;). Other than that, I don't think there's a lot more to be said. Go forth and read (and review)! =D

**Disclaimer- **Burton's characters are most certainly not mine, but the growing number of OC's are. So deal with it.

* * *

With the soft chill of the autumn morning wind to his back, Victor maneuvered the outer streets of Halloween Town in the Blood Bank's delivery cart. Despite everything else, he at least had this to be thankful for; his older brothers had allowed him to use the cart as simple means of transportation. There weren't that many hours in a day, after all, especially not _this _day when there would be an evening wedding taking place. He'd need to save all the time he possibly could as he embarked on his errands.

But as he continued on his way, accompanied by no one but himself and the skeleton horse, he began to realize that no amount of time reserved would keep him from his more reprehensible thoughts. In his mind, he kept turning over that shell-shocking conversation with Jack, examining it from all angles, deconstructing and reconstructing every sentence over and over again, trying to flip through memories to find _some _sort of evidence that what had happened between his two friends was –in some way or another- a logical outcome.

_Jack had kissed Sally. He had kissed her, right on the mouth. _

It just didn't register as sensical to him, no matter how many times he repeated the fact. If there was any sort of tension between the both of them, he had been completely blind to it. But how could he have been? They were his closest friends, after all. Then again, neither one of them knew Victor's _exact_ feelings for Sally, so perhaps the reticence was a mutual effort.

He didn't want to be jealous, and yet he was. He didn't know exactly of what, however, as he wasn't clear if their kiss was a consensual action (Jack certainly made it sound like it wasn't) or not. He therefore couldn't decide if he was envious of Jack for having done in one fell swoop what he had only dreamt of doing for some time, or if he was jealous of Jack for having Sally's affection, with which he could do absolutely nothing, being engaged and all.

A part of him so wanted to be angry. Why and at whom, he wasn't entirely sure. He couldn't be angry with Jack because he'd had no clue of his feelings towards Sally. He couldn't be angry at Sally because she was fully entitled to reject him in favor of another, assuming that she _did_ return Jack's kiss. He couldn't be angry at the _both _of them because, quite frankly, they didn't do this specifically to betray him. After all, the whole thing seemed to be an act of impulsive passion, probably brought upon by stress, cold feet, or some combination of the two. Clearly, neither one of them was really thinking things through. Furthermore, it also sounded as if the kiss was over almost as soon as it had begun.

Could he give them the benefit of the doubt? He didn't know exactly; not yet, anyway.

But before he could give this particular matter any further thought, the blunt force of what felt to be stone collided with the back of his skull. It sent a startling, searing jolt of pain through him upon contact and, almost instinctively, he whipped around to see who had thrown it, as well as rub the back of his head.

"Hold on! Wait up!"

These were the cries of a rather frazzled, frizzy-haired young woman who came clambering down the hill from one of the estates that lined this particular road. She clutched a lacy black parasol in one hand –a haphazardly thrown-on shawl around herself in the other- which suggested to Victor that she was no doubt a vampire. Truth be told, it wasn't uncommon for vampires to come rushing to his cart every now and then like children to an ice cream truck. It was for this reason that he had oiled the wheels so that they wouldn't give him away and carried both a crucifix and garlic along with him (being only half-vampire allowed him to come into momentary contact with these things so long as he wore gloves and/or protective eyewear) so as to fend them off, if need be.

"I don't have any with me today!" he called back, still massaging his head.

This didn't seem to deter the woman any, as she continued on a forward path to his cart. When she got close enough, Victor soon realized that she was none other than Seraphina Belvoir, the strange female vampire he had made the mistake of talking to at the ball.

"That's entirely fine," she explained, running right beside the passenger seat. "I _do _need some blood –desperately, in fact- but I can just as well ride with you to the bank."

Without so much as an inviting hand gesture from Victor, Seraphina climbed up into the wagon and helped herself to the empty spot beside him.

"W-w-wait…now just hold on, Miss Belvoir-"

"I know, I know, you don't have any blood. I totally get it, it's fine! Didn't you hear me say I'll ride with you to the bank?"

"M-m-miss Belvoir," Victor began, as defiantly as he possibly could. "_You _threw a stone at my head!"

She nodded, somewhat incredulously.

"Well, I had to get your attention somehow, Victor. Besides, I didn't know it was you from so far away."

He huffed in disbelief. "There _are_ other ways of gaining someone's attention, you know! You don't necessarily have to render them unconscious with a projectile weapon!"

Seraphina simply chuckled, shaking her head. "Victor, Victor, Victor…certainly you can see the logic in my action, can't you? Even if the rock hadn't gotten your attention, it would have at least left you in such a state that I could easily take your cart myself! It makes sense, doesn't it?"

"W-w-w-well, yes, I suppose…b-b-but that's not the point, I-"

"Oh, alright, enough of this banter. Let's just go get some blood before my poor mother keels over from starvation."

Ignoring her, Victor simply glared in her direction and continued to rub the afflicted place on his head. He then jostled the reigns with a very audible scoff.

"Well, for your information, Miss Belvoir, I'm stopping by a friend's flat before I go back to the bank. Dying mother or not, I have no intention of changing my course for you. The bank is not even supposed to be in operation today, as it's both Halloween and the day of the Royal Wedding. Certainly you were aware of that beforehand?"

Seraphina didn't seem to be listening too intently as she brushed her uncontrollable black locks into place.

"For _your _information, Victor, I don't make the orders for my family; my father does, and he's been nothing if not neglectful for the past two months. So there."

She then stuck out her tongue at him before returning to her hair. Victor rolled his eyes and prayed the journey would be shorter than it seemed.

* * *

"Well, here we are!"

Augusta announced their arrival as the carriage entered the towering front gates of the fortress that surrounded the inner town. _Fortress _was something of a harsh word though, especially considering its decoration and the sort of town it surrounded. The large _wall _was made of pure white brick and had tentacles of exquisitely flowered vines that wound all over it. The main door functioned as a bridge over the crystalline moat that also encircled the town. As they made their way over it, Sally took a glance over the side of the carriage to see small, sparkle-scaled fish swimming feverishly through the clear water.

Eventually, their carriage made its way in and began clamoring over the cobblestone street. However, the somewhat distracting jostling that this caused was not remotely forefront on Sally's mind.

The small town was bustling with late morning activity. The distinct, earthen scent of bread coupled with the sweet fragrance of flowers and sugar filled the mild air, accompanied by the general hum of the townsfolk who currently milled around the small, crowded streets.

This, in fact, was the second of Sally's wonders. The townsfolk were apparently not limited to human beings, as there were also smartly dressed rabbits, geese, chickens and even frogs who occupied the citizenry, all of whom were about the same in size to the humans. She supposed this shouldn't strike her as too terribly odd, given the sort of folk who lived in Halloween Town, but then again, she'd _never _seen a walking, talking, well-dressed animal before. The closest Halloween Town got to something like that was the werewolves.

Naturally, neither Augusta nor Lotte seemed to anticipate their guests' surprise at this sight. How could they, after all? All of these visions were as natural and as common place to them as their own appendages. As such, it would be hard for them to imagine that someone might find these things unusual.

Augusta soon asked that the carriage be parked to the side and Sally thought to herself that it couldn't have happened sooner; she was eager to disembark and explore this town on foot.

"Now, Lotte, you must leave your doll in the carriage," Augusta instructed as soon as she had stepped out on to the sidewalk. "Otherwise you will most _definitely _misplace it."

Lotte made a small, belligerent grunt in reply and clutched the doll staunchly to her chest, seeming to refuse to leave without it. Sally then stepped in by taking what she could of Lucy (Lotte's doll, if the reader will remember) gently into her hands.

"She seems tired," she explained as Lotte looked up at her with large, inquisitive eyes. "I think she'd like a nap. Trust me, I would know. I'm a ragdoll too."

Lotte gradually let Sally take possession of Lucy and watched as she very lovingly tucked the smaller doll into an extra blanket that sat in the corner of the seat (no doubt there to keep legs warm on an evening ride).

"There," Sally announced as soon as Lucy was sufficiently secured. "She'll be safe and warm here while we shop."

Satisfied with this, Lotte nodded and took Sally's hand back into hers, pulling her along as they both disembarked from the carriage.

"You have _such _a way with children," Augusta whispered to Sally, once more hooking arms with her. Her flowered perfume became especially prominent in this brief moment of close proximity.

The trio then continued on their way down the sidewalk, Augusta still linked with Sally's right arm and Lotte holding on tightly to the hand of her left. The ragdoll had to admit that she'd never felt more welcome somewhere in her life. Having two warm and welcoming beings close to her helped to lessen any uneasiness she may have felt from being in an unfamiliar environment.

"Good morning to you, Mrs. Price!" Greeted a white rabbit in a blue sport-coat and matching top hat, which he graciously tipped to the three of them. "As well as your lovely little child…and your most interesting guest!"

His reference to Sally was not meant to be offensive in the slightest; she could easily see that the rabbit was genuinely interested in her, where she came from, and what had brought her here.

"Good morning, Sir McTwisp. The young lady beside me is Miss Sally Stitches. She's a ragdoll here on holiday from Halloween Town."

McTwisp's small, purple eyes expanded.

"Halloween Town, you say? How _fascinating! _I've been ever so excited to see what wonders this effort for assimilation would bring us!"

"With all due respect, sir," Sally interjected. "You're something of a wonder to me, too. I've never seen a walking, talking rabbit in my life."

There was an awkward moment of silence before McTwisp and Augusta chose to break it with a jubilant laugh. Never mind, of course, that Sally didn't mean the comment to necessarily be funny.

"Oh dear," McTwisp sighed, wiping a tear of amusement from his eye. "She's most charming, Mrs. Price!"

The rabbit then bid them all adieu before Sally could speak up and thank him for the compliment (more out of an effort to remind him she was a sentient being than anything else) and she soon found herself being rapidly tugged by her hostesses farther into town.

She mentally logged away a reminder of this encounter for future reference, knowing full-well that any further interactions in Easter Town would very likely be similar.

* * *

"Hold on, I'll come with you!"

Victor sighed loudly, not really caring any more if his unwanted company heard him. He had already gotten halfway up the walk to Sally's flat when Seraphina called this out to him in that shrill, agitating tone of hers' that had begun to make his rock-induced migraine even worse. He therefore had to stop where he was and wait for her to catch up with him.

"I suppose I can't stop you," Victor grudgingly replied once she was within earshot. "I can't imagine why you'd want to though. I'm only stopping by for a second."

"I can't sit in that cart all alone!" Seraphina protested. "What if I got _kidnapped _or something?"

Victor rolled his eyes, still not really caring (almost hoping that she would, actually) if Seraphina saw him.

"Yes, that _would_ be a tragedy…"

The two then continued forwards, Seraphina whispering the question of 'Who are we going to see?' several times and Victor intentionally pretending he didn't hear her. They soon buzzed the specific room of the apartment building and then waited patiently for some hopefully good news.

When Ziggy answered the door, however, Victor began to mull over how possible it would be for him to make a break for the cart _right now._ After all, he was in between two of the most annoying females Halloween Town had to offer and surely Sally was safe inside at any rate. Still, he didn't _know _that for a fact, and returning to Jack with nothing more than a theoretical guess would no doubt turn the skeleton into something that rivaled the aggravation that was Seraphina and Ziggy, respectively.

And so he remained.

"Heya Victa," Ziggy yawned, clearly having been woken up by the doorbell. "What's goin' on?"

"I'm sorry to come 'round so early in the morning, Miss Neferet, but I was rather concerned about Sally. I was wondering if she made it home last night…?"

Ziggy nodded sleepily. "Yeah, totally."

Victor allowed himself a sigh of relief, but the feeling wasn't going to last.

"She left soon aftah, though."

"I-I…I beg your pardon? S-s-she made it home…but then _left_?"

Ziggy yawned again, this time longer than Victor would have preferred as it kept her from answering his questions rapidly.

"Yeah…look, she left me a note. Do ya wanna see that?"

"Yes, please, if it's not too much trouble."

Ziggy then disappeared back into the building, clutching her night robe tightly to keep out the chill. While they waited, Seraphina turned to Victor.

"I hope she hasn't been eaten by a werewolf or something."

Victor's eyes widened and he looked at his companion disbelievingly.

"_Eaten by a werewolf_?" he repeated. "_Eaten by a-_ what in the world is the matter with you, Miss Belvoir? What kind of thing is that to say to someone whose friend has gone missing?"

Seraphina reeled back a little, clutching her shawl defensively.

"I said I hoped she _wasn't _eaten by a werewolf…geez…"

Ziggy returned surprisingly soon after this, the small fold of parchment in her bandaged hand.

"Here ya go, hon," she said, offering the note to Victor.

He had reached out to accept it when Seraphina suddenly shot out an arm and grabbed it before he could do so.

"_Hey_!"

She ignored him, unfolded the paper, and began to read aloud.

_Ziggy,_

_I'm sorry I won't be able to tell this to your face but I know how much you hate me interrupting your beauty sleep, so I thought it'd be just as effective to leave a note. I've gathered the majority of my things (the most important ones anyway) and I'll be leaving town with them immediately after I'm finished writing this. I don't know how long of a "vacation" this will be or when/if I'll be coming back or even where I'm going yet. Those things I'm planning to figure out as I go along. With this note I'm including my share of this and next month's rent as well as a letter of resignation that I'd very much appreciate you giving to Jack at your earliest convenience. If anyone happens to come by looking for me, feel free to show them this note and/or relay it to them and let them know I'm fine (if that's something they appear to be concerned about). If it concerns them, please also let them know I'm sorry I've had to back out of my maid-of-honor duties so close to the wedding. I think that the couple appreciate that I have, though, so this may not be a necessary mention. I also wanted to let you know how sorry I am to be leaving this abruptly and with no notice beforehand, but I hope you can understand that various circumstances simply require that I do. I don't doubt you'll be able to find another roommate soon, given how cheap this flat is._

_On a final note, I promise to write you and let you know where I am as soon as I've gotten settled in somewhere. As far as my other things are concerned, if you could just hold on to them for maybe three months or so, I'd very much appreciate it. If I don't come back to claim any of it after then, feel free to do with it whatever you wish._

_My best,_

_Sally _

"It's a hell of thing for her to do," Ziggy said once Seraphina had finished reading. "Leavin' me to just figure out some way to pay rent on my own…just out of the blue like that. What kinda friend does that to a girl, I ask ya?"

Victor shook his head in disbelief, taking the note back from Seraphina. He was still trying to decide what force could compel Sally to just up and leave at a moment's notice like that. He'd never known her to be so…impulsive.

"May I borrow this?" he asked softly. "I can return it to you tomorrow."

Ziggy shook her head and waved off the offer. "Nah, keep it. Ain't of no use to me, after all."

"Also, would it be too much trouble to ask you to let me know when she writes you back? I'd very much like to have some confirmation that she's alright."

Ziggy simply nodded once more, having been caught in another monopolizing yawn.

"Thank you, Miss Neferet. We'll be on our way now."

He then motioned for Seraphina to follow him and assumed she did so as he descended the walkway back to the wagon. She instead hesitated by the front door of the building.

"So…you need a roommate?" she asked Ziggy after a moment.

"Looks like it. What, do you wanna move in or somethin'?"

Seraphina nodded. "My mother and I do, as a matter of fact."

The mummy considered this prospect for a moment and eventually relented with a conceding shrug.

"Yeah, sure. It's got three bedrooms anyway. I'll need ya to move in by the end of the month, though."

Victor, meanwhile, had climbed back into his wagon and waited not-so-patiently for Seraphina to conclude her exchange of names and information with her prospective roommate. Why he was even waiting at all and not taking off at full speed, he didn't quite know. It must have had something to do with his unavoidable inclination towards manners, even to those who most certainly didn't deserve them.

Eventually, the vampire woman scuttled back to the wagon and Ziggy returned to the warmth of her apartment building to no doubt sleep until it was time to get ready for the wedding.

* * *

"Oh, do let us see, Sally! Don't be shy!"

She hesitated for a moment within the safe and somewhat dark confines of the dressing room. This would be the seventh dress she had tried on today and she didn't doubt that it would probably look just as hideous on her as the other six had, if not more so. It _was_ true, however, that the others had been various shades of pastel in accordance with the town's taste (a sort of color that did not flatter her in the least bit) and that this particular frock was a dark, earthen shade of violet, as per her request. Therefore, there was a good chance she'd look halfway decent this time, but it still didn't help her nervousness any.

Finally, she willed herself to come out, albeit shyly and reluctantly.

"Oh my…" Augusta marveled, seemingly surprised that the dress looked as good as it did (she was the one insisting on all of the bright fabrics in the first place). "Come, Sally, look at yourself in the mirror!"

The saleswoman (a rather friendly goose, as a matter of fact) led her over to the three way mirror nearest the dressing rooms. Having gone over there six other times today, this wasn't exactly necessary on the goose's part. Still, Sally didn't refuse or argue with her overt display of helpfulness.

She surveyed her reflection momentarily, deciding rather quickly that the high-necked, long-sleeved, Victorian-style dress would suit her just fine.

"I think this one's nice," she said to Augusta.

"I would have never chosen such a dark color for myself, personally, but this r_eally _does look nice on you, dear," Augusta replied, still amazed.

"Shall we fetch more for you to try on in this color, miss?" the salesgoose asked sweetly.

Sally glanced over at the far end of the dress store where Lotte sat impatiently on the floor. The poor child had already made an effort to entertain herself by running and hiding underneath display dresses and giggling not-so-quietly. Needless to say, Augusta had quashed that game almost as soon as it had begun.

Knowing how eager the young girl was to go to the candy store (a promised treat if she behaved herself), Sally shook her head, thereby refusing to try on any more dresses. Truth be told, she was feeling a little saturated too.

"I do appreciate all of this, Mrs. Price," she politely explained. "But I think if I just had some fabric I could sew the rest of my clothes using the dress I have on as a model. It'd certainly be a lot less expensive."

Augusta seemed a little perplexed by this request, no doubt wondering why anyone in their right mind would want to sew their own clothes when there were perfectly good stores that could do it for them. Having gotten the impression that this warranted an explanation, Sally promptly gave it.

"Sewing is sort of a hobby of mine. I enjoy it, really."

"Well, alright, Miss Stitches, if you insist."

She then asked the salesgoose to produce a sufficient amount of dark-colored fabric for Sally to make the rest of her Easter Town clothes with. As she did so, Lotte skipped across the store to Sally's side and tugged on a fold of her dress.

"Are we done yet?" she whined, slightly leaning into Sally's leg and clutching the piece of fabric a bit tighter.

She couldn't help but smile at Lotte's rather dramatic display of boredom. If she didn't know any better, she might have thought the poor girl would have died from it.

"As soon as we buy this fabric, we will be."

Lotte's wide grin miraculously returned, as did the signature sparkle to her dark blue eyes.

"And _then _we'll get candy, right, Miss Sally?"

She nodded and patted her on her head of shiny blonde coils.

"Right, Lotte."

* * *

The ride so far had been completely silent, much to Victor's surprise and delight. Seraphina seemed sufficiently occupied with her still-uncooperative hair to want to say much of anything to her driver. Victor was still trying to organize all of the unruly thoughts running through his mind at the moment to want to say much of anything to her (even so much as a 'we're almost to the bank').

Of all the days in the year, _today _was certainly not the most opportune for all that had occurred already. Jack could have easily kissed Sally at an earlier time so that all of this emotional confusion could have been dealt with then (or, of course, he could have refrained from it altogether but Victor was beginning to believe the gesture was inevitable) and Sally could have waited to leave until this morning and not just on a whim the night before. Perhaps if she'd have done that, she would have had some idea of where she wanted to head. All-in-all, the whole thing was _very_ un-Sally-like, and the knowledge of that worried him terribly. Furthermore, there was that whole strange matter with Lord Belvoir and his blood order for Mrs. Dobberstein. Victor still didn't quite know what to make of _that_, but he had already decided to place that concern on the very, very far back burner. There was no point adding something trivial to the already mounting pile of issues to be turned over.

"So, is Sally your girlfriend or something?"

Seraphina's rather forward question came completely out of the blue and it made Victor jump slightly in his seat. Once he had regained his composure, he vaguely glared at her out of the corner of his eye.

"_No_. But then again, it's not very well any of your concern, Miss Belvoir."

"Do you want her to be?" she continued, completely undeterred.

He shifted and cringed a bit out of repressed frustration. "Like I _already said_, Miss Belvoir, it's none of your concern!"

She stared at him for a moment and blinked. "Just because I'm not involved in the situation I can't know what's going on? That hardly makes any sense. If that was truly the way things worked then _nothing _would get done!"

"Miss Belvoir, I hardly know you!" he shot back. "It's none of your concern because I don't feel comfortable divulging it to you. How can you expect me to trust someone I've known probably less than a collective half of a day?"

"Oh really now, Victor, how valuable is the answer of whether or not you have crush on Sally, really? I mean, you're going to have find out if I'm trustworthy or not sometime, and this seems like a pretty innocuous piece of information to try me out on."

"Wha- _why_ would I _have_ to find out whether your trustworthy or not?"

Seraphina grinned. "If the books I read have told me _anything, _it's that two people who start out hating each other as much as you and I do will end up the best of friends by the end of the story. So, therefore, sooner or later you and I are going to warm up to each other. It's probably best if we start out confiding some secrets. That's usually how it happens in the books."

Victor so desperately wanted to point out that things that happen in books aren't exactly the best reflection of things that happen outside of them. But then he remembered that Seraphina seemed to have a code of logic all her own that she'd no doubt sic him with if he tried any kind of appeal to reason.

"Okay, fine!" he relented. "I will _happily _fill you in on my innermost personal feelings towards someone _you _don't know from a hole in the wall, if you tell me why in the world you'd need to move yourself and your mother out of your no doubt very large house and into a small, cramped flat. There, you see? _That _sort of information is absolutely none of my business and I have absolutely no place asking for it and though I was very curious about it to begin with I had planned to refrain so as to not make you feel uncomfortable. But because _you're _trying to intrude on a personal matter of mine, I don't see why I can't return the favor!"

He paused a moment to catch his breath and Seraphina simply continued to smile at him.

"Sure, I'll tell you. I would have at any rate."

He sighed, wondering to himself why that thought hadn't already occurred to him.

"So, my mother and I are moving out because we're fairly certain my father is going to abandon and or kick us out pretty soon," she explained. "And if he simply leaves us there, we won't be able to keep up that huge house on our own. If he's planning the latter –which seems terribly likely- I'd rather have moved out and into another place before he gets the chance to do it. Given my mother's mental state, I also think it would be far wiser to have her in a secure living situation. So, there you have it."

Despite the amazingly casual and unemotional way Seraphina described this situation, Victor still felt an uncomfortable mixture of regret for having asked and sympathy for her and her mother. Unsure of what else to say, he simply rubbed the back of his neck and managed a,

"Oh…I'm terribly sorry."

She then turned to him, smiling expectantly. He couldn't very well refuse her the knowledge now, not with all that she had just told him, no matter how loath he was to reveal it. Then again, Seraphina was a rather neutral party, given she didn't know Sally or King Jack very well and had really no means of slipping this little secret by either one of them.

"Well…alright, here goes; I _do _have something of a crush on Sally. Just a small one."

The vampire woman clapped her hands and bounced in her seat excitedly. "Yes! I knew it!"

"Well, it hardly matters now, I suppose. She's fled town to who-knows-where and I'm fairly convinced she doesn't return my feelings anyway."

"Now how would you know that if you've never told her?" Seraphina challenged.

"I _did _tell her! Er…that is…not in so many words…I asked her on a date about a week ago. She told me she'd have to think about it and she never gave me a definite answer either way. Well, that doesn't seem too terrible, right? I mean, an 'I don't know' is far better than a 'No'. _Well, _last night, she and King Jack –both of whom are friends of mine- kissed, apparently."

She gasped, slapping her hands over her mouth.

"It was no doubt more of an impulsive action," Victor continued. "And it's not clear to me whether it was mutual or not…but _nevertheless…_"

"Oh my," she sighed, recovering from the shock. "Well, that _does _complicate things, doesn't it?"

"To say the very least…"

"But on the bright side, it certainly does shed some light on the situation. I mean, think about it, Victor; you ask Sally on a date and she gives you a _maybe_. Later in the week, she and Jack _kiss_, on the night before his wedding, no less. That _same evening_, Sally leaves Halloween Town altogether with no word of where she's going. I mean, it's obvious, isn't it? She's totally in love with Jack."

Victor didn't know quite what to say in return. It was, of course, an idea he had considered given the circumstances, but he wasn't exactly in favor of thinking it to be true. Besides, Seraphina didn't know his friends as well as he did. Who was she to say such things about them? He knew better, after all.

"Well, it's a theory, anyway," he relented, noticing that they were now quickly approaching the bank.

"Oh, I didn't mean to make you feel bad, Victor," Seraphina comforted, placing a completely willing and sure hand on his shoulder. "I'm just making an educated guess about the workings of the female mind. Being a female, I should like to think I'm well-qualified to do so."

Having finally rolled up a long side their destination, Victor brought the horse to a stop and disembarked, refusing to acknowledge any more of the crazy vampire woman's cockamamie _theories _about things she knew nothing about.

"I'll just go in and fetch it for you," Victor explained -in a rather cold tone- regarding the blood. "How much do you need?"

She regarded him somewhat dejectedly; as if she had half-hoped he'd invite her inside. What could have possibly led her to believe their interaction thus far was leading to that, he didn't know. Instead of reminding him once again of the dangers she faced being alone in a cart –as he half-expected she would- she instead informed him of her required amount and then sat silent and almost solemn.

As he skipped up the gravel pathway leading to the bank and then arrived and unlocked the door, he felt almost guilty. _Almost. _

It was only about twenty minutes later, when they were driving up alongside the manor she had appeared from, that the two of them spoke again.

For whatever odd reason, remorse for his behavior towards Seraphina had begun to get the best of Victor. Despite the fact that she was a perfectly aggravating, intrusive and insane young vampire woman, he had no real reason to be as cruel to her as he was. She seemed to only want to be cordial with him and though her efforts to do so may have been rather socially-inept, that was no reason to turn her down her kindness.

And so when she disembarked, Victor was sure to say,

"Miss Belvoir…I…I wanted you to know that I'm sorry for the way I've behaved this morning. It was very uncouth."

She simply smiled and nodded in understanding.

"That's fine, Victor. You've had a tough couple of days after all."

She turned around as if to head back to her home when he felt compelled to stop her again.

"What chapter of your novel would you say our inevitable friendship is on, Miss Belvoir?"

She stopped for a moment to stare pensively into the mid-morning sky. "Hmmm…_maybe _chapter 4 of 50."

"Oh, dear. It sounds like we have a ways to go."

"Indeed it does, Mr. Van Dort."


	17. Chapter 15 Dies Irae

_Chapter 15- Dies Irae_

**A/N- **Is there any one still out there...? I'm a little afraid I may have scared some of you off, as I didn't receive any reviews for the last chapter *tear* ='(. If this _is _the case, please let me know what it is about this story that is making you shy away. I'm just writing blindly, using whatever ideas come to me first and they may not be the best. So let me know what should be done differently/what needs to go/what you'd like to see, etc. As much as I adore writing this, I'm doing it for all of you as well. So _please _share your thoughts.

If you're concerned that the story might be going south towards a location that you're not comfortable with (aka not Jack/Sally land) please don't get discouraged. I've tried to make it fairly clear who is going to end up with whom by the time all is said and done (and don't let this chapter fool you!). So I hope that might give you some peace of mind...I hope.

I also hope that this chapter won't make me lose a million readers, given that it houses the dreaded Jack/Tivona wedding. Again, I say, don't let this discourage you if you don't like the idea of them together and/or hate Tivona (which you're more or less supposed to).

**Disclaimer- **Not mine.

* * *

As soon as the sun had gone down behind the Hinterland Hills and all that remained were orange-violet streaks on the darkening sky, Septimus and Gloria appeared from the mansion, supporting a very limp Tivona on both of their shoulders.

They had taken the back door so as not to be noticed by any of the citizens on their way to the chapel, or the volunteers and servants who were busy decorating the town square for the reception/Halloween celebration to follow, and were now attempting to subtly creep through alleyways (a feat that was easier said than done, what with a delirious young woman hanging between them both). Meanwhile, Tivona sleepily glanced from Septimus to Gloria and then back again.

"_You_ guys…_you guys_…are…like…the besttthhh…" she managed, her tongue managing to slip in somewhere and muck up the end of the sentence.

Gloria huffed. "If I didn't know any bettah, I'd say she's drunk off her backside!"

"And that's exactly what we're going to tell anyone who asks," Septimus replied, grunting as he made an effort to both readjust Tivona's dead weight and keep her from licking the side of his face.

"Guys…_guys…_guys, seriously!" Tivona shouted, the force of which seemed to take most of her strength. "Seriously, guys…_where_…uhm…where are we…."

"We're takin' you to get married, honey," Gloria answered calmly.

Septimus nodded. "Yes, we are. And married you will be by the end of this evening, come hell or high water."

Tivona just smiled stupidly and rolled her head into the slope of Septimus' neck.

"That sounds _wonderful_." She sighed blissfully before nodding off to sleep.

* * *

Jack stood in front of his mirror in the groom's suite, staring blankly back at his equally as unemotional reflection. He had probably adjusted his tie close to a hundred times by now, but there was really nothing else for him to do with his appearance to keep him occupied. His now-finished suit was fully on, as was his high-collared cloak and silver, jagged crown (which he never wore outside of occasions like this).

Meanwhile, his groomsmen –who were Herb Dobberstein, Cornelius Ceasar, and Victor's eldest brother, Edward Van Dort- sat playing cards on one of the coffee tables in the lounging area.

"Jackie-boy, you positive you don't want to join a game? I guarantee it'll clam your nerves a bit. We're not playing for keeps, after all!" Edward called over in his typical boisterous, debonair manner. From where he had inherited such a buoyant nature was a mystery to everyone, as he apparently also shared genes with Victor and his other two rather mousy brothers. Most subscribed to the belief that he had been adopted at some point.

"No. Thanks anyway, Ed," Jack sighed. "I'm not exactly in the mood."

The men turned back to their game with a shrug, continuing to spew both raucous laughter and dirty jokes. Jack, meanwhile, soon felt the familiar, wispy coolness that was Zero's transparent body on his lap. The dog had managed to slip in around him from where had been sleeping in the corner.

Zero gazed up at his master with long, mournful eyes as Jack soothingly stroked his head.

"Don't worry, boy, it'll be alright. We're just a bit nervous, is all. Everything's going to turn out fine."

He then lovingly placed a small cape –one the matched his own, as a matter of fact- around the ghost dog's neck.

"There. Now, you'll be quite dashing as our ring bearer."

This didn't seem to comfort Zero in the slightest, and he simply nuzzled his head into the slim crook of Jack's arm.

Suddenly, the door to the suite shot open and nearly caused a hole in the side wall from the force of the knob slamming into it. To everyone's relief, the one responsible for this was Victor, the very, very late Best Man.

"So sorry, so sorry…" he murmured to no one in particular as he feverishly made his way over to the groom.

The rest of the party gradually resumed their game, but not without an obligatory mention from Edward.

"About time you came 'round, little brother! We were all so worried about you."

Herb and Cornelius laughed at the blatant sarcasm, and Victor was too flustered to even acknowledge that anything was said. Jack, on the other hand, had stood from his seat and begun eyeing his friend expectantly.

"Did you hear anything?" he asked urgently, while Victor grabbed his tuxedo off a nearby rack. "Is she alright?"

Victor nodded as he disappeared behind one of the dressing screens, unbuttoning and loosening parts of the attire he already wore as he did so.

"Yes, yes, she's just fine. She left last night to go to another Holiday town. She doesn't want to reveal which one she's in though, so we'll just have to wait until her next letter to Ziggy."

The skeleton slumped back in the chair he formerly occupied, now no longer worried-beyond-belief, but somewhere between relieved and downtrodden.

"It's just a shame she won't be here."

Victor _nearly _responded to this with a reminder of just why Sally wasn't going to be out of his misplaced feelings of either anger or jealousy (probably both). He managed to refrain, however, and simply continue his hasty attempt to clothe himself properly.

"Yes, a shame indeed."

* * *

Helga and Zelda, nearly all-the-way prepared save for some last minute make-up touches they were currently applying, were in the middle of small talk while they waited for the bride.

"She's _very_ late," Zelda observed, pointing out the obvious. In case the reader is curious as to how she cleaned up for the wedding, her usually frizzy black hair had been slicked back behind a rhinestone-incrusted, black headband. It matched her plain black bridesmaid's dress quite nicely.

"Well, if she doesn't want to marry Jack, I'm sure one of us would be happy to step in and take her place!" Helga joked as she smoothed on some mascara. Her hair had been pulled back tightly into a bun, and she had chosen a simple, wilted black rose for her head decoration (again, just in case the reader would like to know).

"You don't suppose she's gotten cold feet, do you?" Zelda wondered. "I mean, it certainly makes sense for her…"

Helga shook her head as she capped her mascara pen. "Nah. As long there's the promise of being Queen, Tivona'll do just about anything. Trust me, her feet are as warm as fresh baked bread."

The door to the bridal suite was then opened to reveal a very soused-looking Tivona being supported by Lord Belvoir and Gloria Dobberstein. The witch sisters watched fixedly as the two helped the bride hobble over to a nearby chair and have a seat.

"Too many nips from the champagne, eh?" Helga guessed. She noticed Septimus look at Gloria warningly, before the large woman turned back with an answer.

"Oh…uh…yeah. I tried to stop her but…ya know, nerves and all."

"Uh huh…"

Helga continued to watch as the Vampire Lord knelt before Tivona and pulled something cylindrical and black out of his pocket and put it to her lips. She watched as she proceeded to drink from it rather hungrily and as Septimus pried it from her mouth and pocketed it once more.

As he went over to Gloria, took her by the arm, and pulled her to the side to say something secretive, Tivona suddenly took notice of the sisters and exclaimed so loud that Helga was unable to hear what was said.

"GUYS!" she cried, flailing herself, open-armed to the side to try and pull them in for a hug. "_I'm _getting…mmmarried, you guysss…!"

Zelda laughed and patronizingly pat the bride on the head. "Yes, dear, we know!"

Helga ignored the both of them, still trying futilely to hear the far-off, whispered conversation.

"Helga, Helga…Helga…" Tivona had begun tugging on her arm in an attempt to get her attention. "H-h-h-helga…Helga…_Helga_…"

"Oh, for crying out loud, what is it?"

Tivona pulled Helga down to her level so that she could whisper into her ear.

"Guess what, Helga?"

"No. What is it?"

Tivona giggled. "I'm. getting. married."

This made her laugh hysterically and push Helga to the side rather forcefully. The witch grumbled and refrained from slapping the idiotic girl to survey her a bit more intricately.

She soon came to the conclusion that there was nothing noticeably _off _about Tivona, herself, just the way in which she was brought here and thusly treated. Still, that in and of itself probably required some examination and she intended to give it the warranted amount.

So as soon as Septimus had slipped from the bridal chambers and, presumably, back out to the chapel to seat himself for the ceremony, Helga approached Gloria. Much like how the Vampire Lord had done, she took a gentle hold of the zombie woman's thick forearm and uttered the question,

"_What _is going on?"

Gloria's rather small eyes got suspiciously big and they darted around in her head rather tellingly.

"Umm…whatta you mean, dear?"

"_You _know what I'm referring to, Gloria."

Gloria managed to extract her arm from Helga's grasp and, while completely avoiding eye contact, she slipped over to the dressing screen.

"I…uh…need to get dressed. There's…uh…not much time, ya know!"

Helga could have made continued attempts to interrogate Gloria while she changed, but something told her this effort would be fruitless. Instead, she'd keep a watchful, fixated eye on the bride. Something else told her that the answer to these curiosities was forthcoming, she'd just have to exercise some patience.

So exercise, she would.

* * *

At around 6 o'clock that evening, Sally was allowed to see the inside of the Price household because she had been called in from the guest cottage to join them for supper. She happily accepted the offer, starving from a long day of trying on dresses and wandering Easter's curious downtown. She had also decided that human food was not as awful as she had thought it would be, and so whatever was served would probably be appetizing enough for her.

As she was lead from the front foyer to the dining room, she took notice of how close together all of the walls and furniture were, despite being encased in such a large house. It was something of a puzzlement to her that the family wouldn't have taken advantage of wide-open spaces (a thing that was rather common and appreciated in Halloween Town), but to each their own, she decided.

"Sally, there you are!" Augusta greeted her as the servant at hand led her into the dining room. "It's ever so nice to have you with us this evening!"

Sally smiled at her hostess graciously, noticing as she was led to her seat that all of the family had been standing patiently behind their chairs, as if it would have been poor manners to sit before their guest had arrived. She logged this detail away for future reference.

The family seemed to have regained its' male population as at the head of the table stood a rather tall, impatient-looking older man with a full, grey mustache. She guessed this was probably Lionel and she couldn't say that she was entirely fond of the unappreciative way he stared at her, as if she were some vermin that crawled atop the table and refused to move. But worse still was the look given by the blond, 8 year old boy at Lionel's right side. Sally didn't quite know how to entirely define his expression, but she assumed it was the one all dolls see on the faces of mean older brothers before they're burnt, torn, and left to be found in the dirt by a tearful younger sister.

Of course, Augusta and Lotte still retained their ever present enthusiasm towards her being here. It was quite a polarization, considering.

So once Sally had arrived at her chair, she and her hosts took their seats. Almost as soon as they had done this, a maid arrived from the inner kitchen with a large serving bowl and ladle, presumably to give them the first course.

"Sally, dear, I want you to meet my husband and my son," Augusta called over to where she sat at the end. "Lionel is the tall man beside me, and Alistair is the charming young boy on my opposite. Say hello to her, boys, go on!"

"Good evening, Miss Stitches," Lionel managed, obviously struggling to be cordial. "It's a pleasure to have you with us for supper."

Alistair simply continued to glare without so much as one spoken word. Lionel tapped him on the shoulder and murmured a, "Go on, son, don't be rude."

"Good evening," Alistair said quickly, focusing his attentions on his lentil soup.

Augusta clicked her tongue. "Alistair, darling, there's no need to be like that." She then turned to her guest. "I'm dreadfully sorry for his behavior, he's just a little shy."

Sally nodded to both of the men and offered them a smile which was most certainly not returned. "It's a pleasure to meet both of you. Thank you for inviting me to join you for supper, and for taking me in last night. It was very gracious of you all."

This was met by a momentary silence as Augusta struggled to get one of the males to answer back. Lionel eventually relented.

"Say no more, it was the least we could do."

The company then tucked in to the first course while a somewhat uncomfortable blanket of silence gradually descended on the room. Every clank of silverware, or slurp of soup, or sip of water did not go unheard or unfixated on by one soul present. Many were latching on to those sparse noises, hopeful that it might lead to an eventual conversation.

It wasn't until the end of the soup course, however, when they were waiting for their bowls to be taken and replaced by a full plate, that Lionel addressed Sally directly.

"Miss Stitches," he began, dabbing at his moustache with his napkin before continuing. "I think it most appropriate to ask, at what point _tonight_ you'll be ready with your things to return to the portals?"

Augusta and Lotte gasped, staring open-mouthed at their patriarch. Sally simply looked up at him with widened eyes, somewhat unprepared for this quick shoo-out-the-door. She then realized that it was quite presumptuous of her to assume she'd be asked to stay here indefinitely.

"Oh…uhm…well, I suppose I can be ready shortly after supper," she relented. "If that is a suitable time for you, sir."

"What? No!" Augusta exclaimed, barely restraining herself from rising from her seat. "Miss Stitches isn't obligated to go anywhere, Lionel!"

"Really, Mrs. Price, I can be ready by-"

"Lionel," Augusta continued, ignoring Sally. "It is _terribly _rude to just force someone out like this at a moment's notice! You saw what state she was in when we brought her here!"

"She seems fine to me," Lionel countered, now attempting to focus his attention on the plate of pasta primavera that had just been placed before him.

Augusta shook her head, her curls mirroring the motion. "No. I'm the woman of the house and I'm forbidding it. Miss Stitches will not leave unless she absolutely wants to."

"Augusta, darling, we talked about-"

"It won't have it, Lionel!"

It was at this point that Lotte burst out into tears. "I don't want Miss Sally to go!" she cried, her face instantly soaked.

"Oh, Lionel, now look what you've done!" Augusta scolded, causing an eye-roll from her husband. "You're upsetting the children!"

"I'm not upset…" Alistair muttered, seemingly unnoticed by everyone except Sally.

She, in turn, didn't quite know what to do. It was rather obvious she wasn't welcome here and that her departure couldn't come soon enough. She wasn't exactly keen to remain somewhere that was so loath to have her around, but the issue lay in the fact that she had nowhere else to go. She could always try another Holiday Town, she supposed, but there seemed a definite possibility she could get rejected (or worse) in those places as well.

Summoning what little courage she had, she chose instead to make an offer. She also rose from her chair, went over to Lotte's, and took the crying child into her arms. She assumed Lotte's father might take some issue with this, but no one else was making any kind of effort to silence her.

"Mr. Price," she began, trying to sound as clear and resilient as she could. "I completely respect your need to have me out of your house as soon as possible. I am also more than reluctant to impose on your gracious hospitality any further…you and your family have already done so much more for me than I deserve, and I truly appreciate that…but please believe me when I tell you that I have nowhere else to go at this time. If there's _anything _I can do to earn a few more days with you all, I'll do it willingly. Please, sir, I'm not asking for much…I just need some time to get my bearings and find some other place more permanent."

"What in the devil is the matter with your former town?" Lionel demanded to know. "What's keeping you from going back there?"

Augusta sent her husband another look of shock from his asking of such a personal question, but Sally relented with an answer.

"There are personal issues keeping me from returning. You have to understand that I simply couldn't…it wouldn't be right."

He seemed entirely unsatisfied with this explanation and continued to survey her suspiciously.

"Can I have a week and a half, sir?" she asked, hoping that a defined timeline would help convince him. "I can do chores; clean, cook…you name it, I'll do it."

His mustache twitched thoughtfully.

"Chores are what our staff is for. I don't know if you've noticed, but we _do_ have one of those."

Sally bit her lip, trying to think fast for something else she could do (and cursing herself for not taking complete notice of the fact that the family already had a staff). It was then that a quieted, sniffling Lotte tugged slightly on the sleeve of her new dress. It came to her in that moment.

"The children…do you have someone to watch your children?"

Augusta grinned knowingly. "No, we don't have anyone to watch our children. All of the nannies we've hired have found Alistair and Lotte to be impossible. Isn't that right, darling?"

Lionel glared at his wife slightly out of the corner of his eye.

"And how interesting is it," Augusta continued slyly. "That our little Lotte, who normally _hates_ every young woman we bring to watch her, is sitting comfortably in Miss Stitches' lap as if she were her own mother. That's rather extraordinary, don't you think, love?"

"Well, I _still _hate her!" Alistair argued before his father could get a word in edgewise. "I want her to leave _right now_ and go back to her own Holiday!"

"Shut up!" Lotte yelled at her brother. "You don't know _anything_!"

The bang of Lionel's fist against the surface of the table successfully silenced all excessive noise and brought everyone's attention to him.

"_Alright_," he announced. "A week and a half for you, Miss Stitches, but _no more_. I will award you a medal in perseverance and bravery if you can get our Alistair to warm up to you in that time, but no one is holding their breath. _Now_, can we please get back to our supper?"

Everyone nodded and Sally left a much happier Lotte to return to her own seat.

"Thank you, sir," she whispered.

When Lionel didn't answer her, Sally assumed he simply hadn't heard.

* * *

As he stood stiff at the altar beside an enthusiastic mayor and before a crowd of his subjects, the Skeleton King felt more alone than ever before. It was a rather curious place to feel that way, he knew, and he tried not to make it too evident on his face. He decided it was probably a combination of wedding jitters coupled with the lack of his bride, and so he buried the emotion down deep where he kept the rest of his reprehensible feelings.

When the first few startling chords of Bach's Toccatta and Fugue in D minor rang throughout the chapel from the domineering organ, Jack forgot most of these of thoughts and stayed focused on the middle aisle, from which his future wife would soon appear.

The first pair of the wedding party to descend, arm and arm, were Herb and Gloria Dobberstein. Gloria's efforts to make her husband walk either 'more correctly' or 'swiftly' did not go unnoticed by any one soul in the church, no matter how subtle she may have tried to be.

The next were Zelda and Edward, a rather interesting coupling given their vastly differing heights. It seemed that they had both conjured up an arrangement at some point that worked rather well- Edward was to carry Zelda on his arm like a baby. Neither one seemed particularly displeased, but especially not the witch, what with being in the arms of someone as dishy as the vampire that accompanied her.

Following them were Helga and Cornelius, both of whom appeared ready to retch just from having to link elbows (which they were doing most gingerly and as far apart from each other as they could manage). At some point, Cornelius stepped hard on Helga's foot and it was difficult to tell whether it was by accident or not. She didn't seem to care either way, as she responded to this by swatting him hard on the head with her small arrangement of dying white roses. Though they eventually made their way down and to their appropriate spots at the front of the chapel, Jack didn't take too much notice of their shenanigans. He was far too focused on the very end of the aisle way, knowing that Tivona would very soon appear.

Zero and Shock –who served as flower girl and looked uncharacteriscally sweet in her cocktail dress- made quick work of their appearance, probably intentionally. They were then, of course, followed by Tivona's grand entrance at the arm of Victor. Her black veil was especially thick and almost as long as her dress, which seemed a sufficient explanation for why her descent was less than graceful. At several intervals she seemed dangerously close to falling face first into a full pew, but Victor kept a tight hold on her arm.

After a rather stressful few seconds, Victor had managed to get the bride successfully to the end of the chapel and beside her groom. He quickly jammed her hand into Jack's, hoping that this would be enough to stabilize her. Gloria had also inched up fairly close behind, ready to catch the bride if she were to swoon.

Jack still refused to find any of this behavior too questionable. After all, they _were_ about to make the biggest commitments of their afterlives, and Tivona was forced to wear a rather long and expensive blindfold while doing it. That would be enough to take the dexterity out of anyone, or so he reasoned.

When the Toccatta finally finished the last, concluding notes of the piece's two and half minute mark, the Mayor cracked open his book and cleared his throat. The on looking members of the congregation became respectfully quiet.

"Dearly undead and departed, we are all gathered here today in this _fantastic _new chapel to celebrate the marriage of our dear, and soon to be-not-so-eligible-bachelor, King Jack and his lovely…ummm…"

The Mayor strained his eyes and brought the book in closer, trying to enunciate the difficult world syllable-by-syllable. Jack offered a proper pronunciation.

"What? Oh! K'ou aloha! Yes that's it- his lovely _k'ou aloha_, Miss Tivona O'Dwyer."

It was still less than perfect, but the King could only expect so much.

"Our dear King and his lovely Sorceress are about to embark on that long and treacherous voyage that is marriage. Yes, friends, it will be difficult and it will be trying. Some days, these two may want to set fire to themselves in the hope it will end the torture that is their miserable afterlife…"

This managed to elicit a strange, absentminded giggle from Tivona, who had just begun to teeter slightly on her feet. Gloria grabbed her shoulders briefly in a successful effort to stabilize her.

"BUT as any of us who know these two are aware, their lengthy courtship of three and a half weeks will have built a sturdy foundation upon which they will weather the horrendous storm. Now before we get ahead of ourselves here, I must ask if there is anyone present in this congregation who finds any reason why these two should _not _be married?"

As so often happens at this particular part of the ceremony, things became deathly still and tension-filled around the chapel as the Mayor allowed an excessively generous amount of time for someone to speak their mind. Jack found himself looking around curiously –almost _searching_, even- but for whom and what purpose he couldn't really fathom. There was no one he knew of that would want badly enough for this marriage not to take place…_well_…except for maybe-

"Alrighty then!" the Mayor's voice boomed, making everyone jump a little. "Good to go. And how about you, kids? Any second thoughts? Speak now or forever hold your peeeacce!"

Tivona suddenly latched on to Jack's arm and yanked him in inappropriately close to her.

"No…freakin' _way_," she slurred. "Thish…thish is mah man. You got dat…_May-or_?"

When she suddenly dove in –still covered by the obscuring veil, mind you- to explore Jack's mouth in front of the whole congregation, he was forced to gently extract her, as was the bridal party.

"N-n-not _yet_, love…" Jack gasped before turning to the Mayor and managing a, "No…n-n-no second thoughts…."

"Okay, then let's get this show on the road! We'll start with you, Jack." He promptly turned to more directly face the groom. "Do you take this woman to be your wife? Do you promise to care for her, give her whatever she asks for, and generally be her eternal slave?"

Despite himself, Jack paused. He had promised himself he wouldn't, that his response to this one single question would be both instant and unwavering, but he couldn't help it. It had chosen to dawn on him at that moment that this was the _rest _of his existence that was at stake, a much heavier commitment than that made by the living. This thought soon led into his wondering if, perhaps, Victor and Sally were right all along. What if he and Tivona were unsuited? What if the short time they were together _wasn't_ a good indication of what their married life would be like? What if she'd grow to hate and leave him? Could he stand the heartbreak?

But most importantly, he felt odd making a commitment like this without his closest friend present. It felt so incomplete to not have Sally nearby, to not know that she was watching and supporting him on this day of all days. It felt even worse to know that he had been the cause of her –perhaps eternal- absence.

"Well, Jack? What do you say?" the Mayor prodded. The skeleton soon noticed that _all _eyes were on him, that the congregation were now uncomfortably perched on the end edge of their seats in anticipation of what his final answer would be.

The pressure was enough to do him in.

"I do," he answered with decisive finality. There was no turning back now.

"Excellent!" The Mayor then pivoted towards Tivona. "Now it's your turn, midear! Do you take this skeleton to be your lawfully wedded husband? Do you promise to not spend too much of his copious amounts of money, give him whatever he asks for, and keep him company in his otherwise terribly lonely existence?"

"OF COURSE I DO!" She was suddenly wrapping her arms around Jack's neck again, once more striving for a premature, passionate snog. She would have gotten it this time, if Gloria wasn't as swift to pull her ungainly form off the groom.

The Mayor privately nudged Jack and gave him a wink. "Seems like you're in for _quite _the wedding night, eh Jack?"

If he were able, he would have blushed, not sure how to respond now that he was giving the matter some thought.

The Mayor then restored his boisterous, echoing tone, addressing the wedding as a whole.

"Wonderful! I just _love _her enthusiasm! Alright, now where did those rings get off to?"

Victor and Gloria didn't fail to produce them and hand them off to the bride and groom. Gloria, however, kept a hold on Tivona's ring-bearing hand in an attempt to avoid it dropping and getting lost beneath a pew mid-ceremony.

"Okay, kids, let's get going on those vows!"

Jack gently took Tivona's gloved hand in his and wished that her face wasn't so obscured. He felt it would have given him some much-needed strength –not to mention sincerity- to stare into her eyes as he recited his vows. Nevertheless, he tried to make do with what was given to him and simply imagine what her face would look like beneath the veil.

"With this ring, I thee wed, and with it, I bestow all of my heart, possessions, and self to you."

And he effortlessly slipped the second band on to her ring finger.

Tivona hesitated a moment, and Jack could hear her cursing slightly beneath the heavy fabric.

"Uhmm…okay…what you said, riiight?"

"Yes, love."

"W-w-ith this…uhm…oh crap…."

She stamped her foot slightly in frustration and seemed to be looking around for some kind of assistance.

"Ring…?" the Mayor offered.

"Yeah, that! Okay, with this _ring_…I…uhm, like…marry you…and, like…be your wife and love you forever and stuff…okay, done! Totally nailed it."

She then jammed the ring on to Jack's finger with a lot more force than was necessary. Gloria was soon forced to stifle Tivona's attempt to lean in for another kiss before she could get very far.

"Alrighty then, by the power vested in me as Mayor of this town, I now pronounce you husband and wife; king and queen. Your Majesty, you may kiss your bride!"

Jack gladly rolled the intrusive veil out of the way with the same enthusiasm of a child unwrapping a gift. He so desperately hoped that the face beneath the covering would be confirmation that his decision was a wise one, that the look in her eyes would tell him that this was _right_, as impulsive and nerve-wracking as it may have been.

He was then reminded of how similar this reveal was to their first meeting, and that seemed to only excite him further. Certainly it would be as entrancing and he'd fall in love with her all over again.

But before he could get a good look, Tivona clobbered him with that kiss she had been striving for throughout the entire ceremony. In this moment, she more than made up for all of the times she had been denied.

The bridal parties had to once more pry her off her new husband and help Jack to his feet, lest the honeymoon got off to an early start right there in the middle of the church.

The Mayor took advantage of the opportunity to announce the couple, as well as hand off Tivona's new tiara for Jack to place on her head.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I give you King Jack and Queen Tivona Skellington!"

Mozart's Dies Irae –as well as the applause from their guests- accompanied their recessional out of the church, towards the village square for the reception and Halloween celebration.

Jack had rather wished they'd chosen a more upbeat and less foreboding tune, as it seemed to be having an unnaturally influential effect on him as they left to begin their existence as husband and wife.

* * *

The late evening found her once more in the guest cottage, seated and working diligently at a sewing machine that Augusta had sent for her. She had replaced her Victorian-styled gown with her familiar patchwork dress, intending to use the former as a standing example of how to sew another one in the same style.

Lotte, meanwhile, played with dolls in the living room area, having decided that her guest might enjoy the company. She had also switched on a gramophone that had been hiding in the far corner. What was playing, though, Sally didn't quite take notice of, occupied as she was with the task at hand. She could tell that the music was fairly upbeat, however, which was probably what she needed to get her mind off of the thoughts that currently plagued her.

But she still couldn't help but wonder if the wedding ceremony had been carried out. It didn't seem likely that Tivona would _actually_ have called everything off, given her interest in being Queen and having access to Jack's money (something that Sally had no real concrete proof of, but was fairly convinced of at any rate). Was there any possibility of Jack canceling everything? _Maybe_. She really didn't have a good answer to that. As close as the both of them were, he was still something of an enigma -and always would be, she supposed- particularly in these matters.

She then recalled her promise to Ziggy to write her as soon as she got settled in. Certainly Ziggy would let her know how things had transpired, and she guessed this was as close to 'settled' as she was going to get for a while.

So she rose from her seat and headed closer to Lotte's current location.

"Lotte…I don't suppose you'd know where I could find supplies to write a letter? Like paper, a pen, stamps, envelopes…?"

Lotte nodded enthusiastically and jumped up from where she was kneeling at the coffee table, acting out melodramas with her toys. She scrambled to a small desk in the far corner of the cottage and opened up the bottom drawer. She then looked back at Sally.

"Mama keeps it all in here for the guests."

Sally smiled gratefully and walked over to the desk. As soon as she had seated herself, Lotte jumped up on her lap and looked back at her with a snaggletooth grin.

"Can I help you write your letter?" she asked.

"Well, I don't see why not. What words can you write?"

Lotte grabbed a stack of papers from the open drawer, as well as pen and ink. She then propped herself up on her knees (making Sally cringe in pain a little) and began to carefully scribe on the top of the now splayed paper stack. When she was finished, she whipped out the paper and almost shoved it into her incidental-Nanny's face.

Sally took her own hold of the parchment and pulled it back a little to better read the loopy, obvious writing of a child.

"_Charlotte Marie Price_."

Lotte chuckled proudly.

"That's my name!"

"Very good!" Sally praised. "Not many children your age can write their full name. Now, why don't you take some paper to the coffee table and write some words for me while I work on my letter? I think I could use some help thinking of words to use."

Lotte accepted this task earnestly, clasping –and greatly wrinkling- a thick sum of paper in her small hand, jumping off Sally's lap, and traipsing back over to the table to give it her best shot. Sally took a moment to watch her work, charmed by the way Lotte scratched her head and stuck her tongue out of the side of her mouth while she brainstormed.

She eventually turned back to the task at hand, hoping to make quick work of this letter and not sound too interested, specifically, in the matters of Jack.

_Ziggy,_

_Hi, it's Sally again. I hope all is well with you and the Town, and I hope the Halloween celebrations were a hit. As for me, I just wanted to let you know that I'm safe and currently staying with a wonderful family in Easter Town. I'm not sure how long this arrangement will last, but I'll be sure to let you know when and if I relocate. Still no word on what I can do about the stuff I've left with you, but I'll try to find a place for them soon. Until then, I'd much appreciate it if you'd keep the three month grace period in place. If you'd like to write me back for any reason, simply address it to my full name at The Price Estate, Easter Town. _

_Thanks so much, _

_Sally_

Almost as soon as she was finished, a piece of paper was slapped into her lap. This gesture was soon followed by the ever-expectant, dark blue eyes of Lotte looking up into hers.

Sally brought the paper up closer to her line of sight and pretended to carefully inspect each scribbled word, making 'hmms' of deep contemplation as she did so.

"Let's see…this looks like _cat_…this seems to be _like_….and this last word looks like…_mum_."

Lotte bounced on the balls of her feet.

"Was I right? Was I right?"

Sally relented with an approving smile.

"Yes. Good job!"

Lotte resumed her position in Sally's lap to better inspect the newly-finished letter. Sally allowed her to do so, but only because she knew the child would be unable to read it.

"Who are you writing to?" Lotte asked.

"An old friend."

"Are they from Halloween?"

She readjusted Lotte on her lap so that she was no longer painfully perched on her knees. She then nodded in response to the question.

"_Sally," _Lotte began with a yawn, leaning her head against the ragdoll's chest. "You're not going to go back there…are you?"

"Probably not," she said after a time, a bit concerned as to how she could answer truthfully.

Lotte situated herself more comfortably and closed her eyes as Sally began to idly rock her.

"Good," she murmured in exhaustion. "I don't want you to leave…"

Sally was rather surprised to find herself feeling so warm and loved on this particular night. She internally thanked whatever force dictated the course of her existence for blessing her with such a friend as Lotte.

* * *

Their first dance as husband and wife was less than graceful, but certainly very entertaining for both Tivona and the crowd watching them. Jack had to admit that Saint-Saëns' Danse Macabre actually lent itself somewhat well to erratic, stumbling movements, though he would have preferred something more smooth. He made no comment about his dissatisfaction with it, however, neither before nor after.

The serving of the cake was pretty ridiculous as well. Jack really didn't expect for Tivona's feeding of a small piece to him to turn into a cake facial. He was so overcome with surprise –and she, with laughing out loud and then stumbling off elsewhere- to even get a chance to feed her in turn. No one seemed to notice, eager as they were to return to drinking and dancing. He also attempted to laugh it off. It was funny after all, as contrary as it may have been to his expectations.

Once he had removed a majority of the frosting and cake pieces from his face, Tivona slipped off somewhere in the crowd beyond his line of sight. He therefore decided to accompany Victor, who currently sat alone at one of the banquet tables.

"Great Halloween so far," Jack said as he took a seat beside his friend, startling him slightly. "Don't you think so?"

Victor quickly stowed away the hand he had been sleepily leaning his head on.

"Oh…yes, quite. The wedding went over well, too, I think…"

"Yes, indeed."

A silence followed, though it wasn't entirely awkward as they had the rather loud and cumbersome noise of the party to fill it. Eventually, Victor worked up the courage to address one of the issues that was standing as inconspicuously between them as an elephant in a small room.

"I…suppose Tivona's had a few nips from the bottle tonight…"

Jack nodded. "Seems so. Can't say I blame her. It's been a stressful few days, after all."

"It made for a rather humoresque ceremony though, wouldn't you say? I suppose that sort of took the edge off the stress…"

They both knew this to be incorrect and Jack didn't mind addressing it.

"On the contrary, I'd say it added…but no matter. Tivona simply did what she must've to calm down. Besides, it's thankfully over and done with now. No more planning to weigh heavy on us…"

Victor simply made a small 'hmm' of agreement and they allowed yet another interval of silence to pass through.

"It would've been nice to have had Sally here, though…" Jack said after a few beats, now touching on the most sensitive of issues. "I do wish…things had transpired differently."

"Yes, I'm sure we all do."

Jack turned to look at his friend, a bit mystified as to why his tone had suddenly returned to that odd, uncharacteristic bitterness.

"Is something the matter, Victor? You don't seem yourself."

He shifted uncomfortably in his seat, which made his attempt to hide the truth of the matter a little less inconspicuous.

"Jack…I…I think it's high time I be…completely frank with you."

The skeleton was silent, not wanting to interrupt him from what was going to undoubtedly be a rather dramatic reveal. Of what, though, he could not fathom.

"Y-y-you see…the thing is…I don't very well appreciate what transpired between you and Sally last night."

"Of course you don't, Victor. _I _don't appreciate it, as a matter of fact. I wasn't thinking clearly and I got wrapped up in the moment and I-"

"No, you see…it isn't just that. My unappreciation goes a bit deeper. The thing is, Jack…I have something of a…particular _fondness _for her. I have for some time now."

Jack's eye sockets grew significantly wider as he heard this.

"A fondness? You mean…you _fancy _her?"

"Y-y-yes. Very much so. I have wanted to tell her this for quite awhile, but what you did…"

It seemed neither one of them really knew what to say or think in that very peculiar pause between sentences. Jack was trying to organize the sudden overflow of erratic feelings that were pouring through him and Victor was making an attempt to control his anger, which had returned almost full-force.

"Victor, I'm…I'm terribly sorry, I…I don't really know what to say. Had I known, I would never have-"

"No, don't…please."

Victor stopped him midsentence with a wave of his hand and made another attempt to compose himself.

"You didn't know, Jack. Neither did she, and that's my own fault. But if I seem at all caustic about this matter, you at least now know why."

Jack simply nodded, completely unsure of what to say. He did, however, mutter another ineffectual, '_I'm sorry…_' which Victor either didn't hear or chose not to.

But the issue wouldn't have a chance to be discussed any further between them that night, as a vaguely Italian-looking Vampire woman in a red gown came traipsing over to them at that moment. She was apparently an acquaintance of Victor's, as she began pestering him to join her for a dance. He seemed quite apparently unwilling, but acquiesced to her wishes anyway without so much as one look back at his friend. Jack couldn't help but wonder if he had used the opportunity as an excuse to get away from him.

Jack didn't quite expect to feel as lonely this night as he did, considering it was both Halloween and the evening of his wedding. Things had not made much of an improvement from last year it seemed.

_Meanwhile, _Tivona went about enjoying her wedding reception, having completely forgotten her husband back at the cake table. Being completely drunk on brand-new Vampirism tended to make one a bit absent-minded. Her complete self-involvement, which was intrinsic to her character, didn't help matters any either. That was also not to mention the rather copious amounts of alcohol she managed to consume in such a short period of time.

She had danced with just about everyone present at least once. She wasn't even sure who the individuals were, she would simply grab an arm or hand –occasionally detaching them in the process- and dance with whatever was connected to it. Probably needless to say, this made her quite fatigued and dizzy and so at some point she completely collapsed on the cobblestone. Thankfully for her, Helga and Zelda took notice of this before she could be flattened into the ground by the equally-as-intoxicated crowd.

The Witch sisters drug her to a nearby banquet table and did their best to prop her up in a chair. Helga scoffed and rolled her eyes as Tivona tried, futilely, to regain herself.

"Silly cow. What in the _world _was she thinking drinking all day long? She'll have the mother of all hangovers on the first day of her honeymoon."

Zelda giggled mischievously. "She probably deserves it, wouldn't you say, sister?"

"She most _definitely _deserves it, Zelda."

Tivona groaned a little, clutching her head to still her shaky vision.

"Oh…guys…you're the besht…ya know that?"

Helga nodded most self-righteously. "Certainly we do. We're the best sorceress' in the town and pretty soon we're going to be _inarguably _the best musicians in the town, thanks to your influence, my dear."

Tivona shook her head, as if trying to recall something rather important that was nagging at the back of her mind.

"Oh…yeah…I…ummm…I don't think I'll be….uhh…doing that anymore…"

The sisters exchanged puzzled and somewhat horrified glances.

"Not doing _what_ anymore, darling?" Helga demanded to know, leaning long across the table.

"The…uhh…band. I won't be singing with you guys…anymore…"

Zelda sent her older sister a bewildered –if not shocked- look, as if to ask, '_Is this just the alcohol talking or…?' _

Helga managed a wan smile. "My dear, I know not why you feel compelled to say these things now, but perhaps I should remind you that no practice equals no _pills_."

"Yeah," said Zelda. "And don't think that just cause your married you don't need 'em anymore."

"Yes, quite. Men are very fickle, dear Tivona. You wouldn't want the King to get tired of you less than a year into your marriage, would you? That would mean back to Earth for you, love."

Tivona shook her head and made a wobbly effort to stand.

"No…nope. No it wouldn't. Ex…excuse me."

She then hurried off in no particular direction with the same fervor as someone needing to vomit. Naturally, the sisters responded by grabbing their brooms and following after her as quickly and as stealthily as possible, hoping that her destination might provide some insight into her behavior.

She led them out of the town square, away from the festivities, and to a random, empty alleyway. The sisters chose to float above the rooftops so to watch her from a bird's eye view.

As soon as she was immersed in the shadows, Tivona fell to her knees and began greedily pawing the ground, as if she were looking for a dropped bauble. Still, her somewhat animal-like noises lessened the validity of this comparison.

She managed to eventually locate the item she had come for and it didn't take the sisters long to identify the large, wriggling, squeaking thing in her gloved hands as a common street rat. Tivona then made a terribly unsettling growl-like sound before sinking her teeth into the defenseless creature's fat body and sucking loudly.

Helga gasped, slapping a hand to her mouth.

"Wha-what is it sister?" Zelda asked in a whisper.

"No…it…it simply _can't _be…she isn't-she wouldn't-"

As soon as Tivona had finished, she wiped her mouth with the back of her glove and threw the deflated, floppy carcass to the side. When she stood, much of her typical poise seemed to have been restored, as her movements were not nearly as precarious (still a bit, however, as she had been drinking).

She exited the alleyway and was almost immediately met by Lord Belvoir at the entrance, who seemed unduly concerned about her condition. The sisters could not hear what words were exchanged, but the body language seemed to suggest it was more than a little flirtatious. It certainly confirmed Helga's suspicions, as she instantly went from flabbergasted to enraged.

Screaming, she flew on to one of the nearby rooftops. Upon landing, she threw her broom down against it and began shrieking and pulling at her hair. Zelda quickly landed beside her and began making attempts to stop the ridiculous display.

"Sister! Helga! Stop your hissy fit for five seconds and tell me what's going on!"

"What's going on?" Helga yelled. "What's going on? That little wretch has gotten her boyfriend to turn her _vampire _is what's going on!"

When Zelda simply looked more confused than before, Helga continued to explain in infuriated shrieks.

"_Don't_ you get it, Zelda? She won't need our pills any more now that she's got the vampire's lure. If you will recall, we practically based that whole pill formula off that lure! Somehow that little imbecile has figured it all out and now we're out the most influential and vital band member we've ever had! There goes our chance to win the King's favor over the Bones Brothers!"

"Oh dear…that _is _a problem…"

"You bet your pointed hat it's a problem!"

Helga began to furiously pace while Zelda simply chewed her nails and tried to think of some way to calm her sister down. It was never an effort that was usually effective, but occasionally she would get lucky.

Not this time, though.

"We need to get revenge!" Helga declared after a time. "We need to do something _awful_…something that she'd never expect…"

Zelda didn't bother to brainstorm. She knew too well that in approximately ten seconds her sister would think of something.

Sure enough, "I've got it!" she yelled in about ten seconds' time. "I've got the most wickedly fiendish plot in the history of wickedly fiendish plots!"

"Oh yes, sister? It must be pretty good…"

Helga smiled deviously and rubbed her hands together.

"_Yes_…this plan will not only pay her back ten fold for what she's done to us, it will be a spell only reversible by our hands. It will be an affliction that comes upon her, slowly, like a phantom in the night…she'll gradually realize what's going to happen to her and in that way the horror will have a chance to fester and grow in her mind…"

Zelda cackled and excitedly clapped her small hands together. "Oooh, it sounds quite cunning, Helga!"

"Of _course _it does, I thought of it! Now, we must away as soon as possible to our home and get cracking on the potion. It will take at least a week to complete…"

"Oh, goody! We haven't made an evil potion in _so _long!" Zelda exclaimed, quickly reaching for her broom and preparing for liftoff. She was stilled suddenly by her older sibling's hand.

"First, dear sister, we must gather the necessary ingredients…most of which can _only _be found here and is quite…how do you say…_ephemeral_?"

"Lead the way, Helga. I'm at your command!"

_Meanwhile_, Jack still sat at the banquet table with only his encumbering thoughts to accompany him.

He would have never thought, in a million years, that talking to Victor would only worsen his mood. It typically had quite the opposite effect, as Victor was always very calm and collected, not unlike Sally. He seemed to always know just the thing to say to make Jack feel completely at ease.

Then again, he would have never guessed before that conversation that Victor had been nursing feelings for Sally. How such a thing had gone unnoticed by him as best friend to both parties involved was rather beyond his comprehension. Why hadn't Victor ever told him before? Didn't he trust him with this knowledge? Well, if he did before, Jack was almost sure he wouldn't now, not after he forcibly kissed the one woman Victor cared for (while being engaged to someone else no less). So now not only was Jack responsible for breaking Sally's heart, he was the one to blame for his other best friend's as well.

But worse still, Jack found himself feeling slightly perturbed about Victor's crush. What if Sally returned those feelings? Why did the prospect of them together make him both sad and angry at the same time? Deciding it was another one of those reprehensible feelings that need to be buried deep within and never see the light of day, Jack did just that without hesitation. He'd think no more of the issue.

Or at the very least try not to.

Zero meandered over then, looking more downtrodden than ever. Jack attempted a brave smile for him, but it seemed to have little effect. This uncharacteristic behavior was beginning to disturb him, and he so wished Zero could speak his exact feelings. As it was, Jack could only conjure up very biased assumptions about what troubled his ghost dog.

An idea then occurred to him. He reached within his tuxedo and pulled out a rib- Zero's favorite piece of him to catch and bring back.

"Fetch?" Jack offered, shaking the bone alluringly.

Luckily, Zero decided to let his malaise go for a time and greeted the proposal with as much enthusiasm as he could muster. It was nowhere near his usual expressed amount, but Jack would gladly accept any chance to see his companion smile again.

And so the Skeleton King through the bone as hard as he possibly could and it sailed through the air with same speed and grace as a Frisbee. Zero flew after it, disappearing completely into the dense crowd.

Jack was allowed only a moment to wait for his return, as someone was suddenly grabbing on to and swinging from his arm drunkenly. He supposed he shouldn't have been surprised to see that the culprit was his new wife.

"Jaaaaaccckkk…when are we gonna leave for our honeymoon, huh? I'm getting antsy!"

She said this last part a little mischievously and wiggled her eyebrows to reinforce the insinuation.

"We'll go immediately, my darling. I think I need this vacation as soon as possible."

The couple then announced their departure to the rest of the guests and a newlywed toast was quickly given for them. Almost immediately after this, the both of them hopped into the carriage that was to take them to the Holiday Doors and they were sent off with many waves, blown kisses and wishes for them to have a wonderful time.

In the midst of the fray, Zero's quest and consequently, Jack's rib, were forgotten completely. It didn't really matter though, as Zero would be staying at the castle anyway under the care and watch of the wait staff. Furthermore, he never found the rib. This last fact greatly disturbed him.


	18. Chapter 16 Fire Burn and Cauldron Bubble

**Chapter 16**

_ Fire Burn and Cauldron Bubble_**  
**

**A/N- **I apologize for the especially long wait, those of you who follow this story. For whatever reason, this was something of a difficult chapter to wade through. There's also my course load this semester that hasn't been helping, but excuses aside, I've managed to churn it out. I'm expecting the next installment to be a bit more fun to write. We'll see how it goes. Before I leave you to it, I wanted to address some concerns about Tivona's behavior in the last chapter. It seems like there was some confusion about why she was acting drunk.

Long story short, I was trying to make yet another jab at Twilight, this time concerning the 'newborn affect'. As exhibited in the aforementioned teen-romance novel (and arguably other works of literature involving vampires, though I wouldn't know for sure since it's not my typical fare), most newborn Vampires experience side-effects such as the inability to control their lust for blood. I just thought it might be funny if in this case, a newborn vampire simply gets delirious and silly on their first day (because they need an surplus of blood and most don't get the sufficient amount to not be 'drunk'). Obviously the joke wasn't obvious and/or funny enough to really be successful. I also just wanted an excuse for things to screw up at the wedding, so there you go. =P

**Disclaimer- **Aside from about 40% of the characters, this isn't mine in the least.

* * *

Ziggy knew from the start that her new roommates were going to be difficult, but it didn't exactly take a keen eye or ear to perceive this.

As they struggled to move their things in, Seraphina and Isabella were loud enough to let everyone in the nearby vicinity know that their new neighbors would be a burden. Mostly though, it was Seraphina who was doing the moving and Isabella who was responsible for the gratuitous noise.

"Seraphina, you have gone 'round the twist!", "Seraphina, you can't uproot us from our home!", "Seraphina what would your father think?"

These were just a few of the Italian-accented cries that came from outside the apartment building that evening. For the most part, Seraphina ignored her mother (who sat immovable on the lawn) and strained to push large furniture piece after large furniture piece up the stairs. Ziggy, meanwhile, got dressed to go out and complained that she couldn't get around the damned apartment, what with Seraphina moving big bookcases and bureau drawers all over the place.

Instead of asking Ziggy to help with the effort if she found it so intrusive-as most rational people would-, Seraphina instead asked where she was off to.

"I've gotta deliver Sally's resignation letter to tha' castle and _somehow _find Victah."

"Victor? Well, he's probably on his delivery route."

"Yeah, I know," Ziggy scoffed. "That's why I said _somehow_. Who the heck knows where he is right now!"

With that, Ziggy and her unbelievably tall heels clacked out the front door of the apartment building and down the walk to make the trek downtown. Seraphina only had a second to wince on her new roommate's behalf –it'd be a wonder if she had feet at all by the time her trip was over- before her mother let into her again. This time, however, Isabella chose to rise from her defiant seat on the lawn to get more into her daughter's face, both metaphorically and literally.

"This plan is _pazzo_, Seraphina! We should have never left home. Your papa will have a thing or two to say to you!"

"I doubt that, mama." Seraphina sighed. "I think he will be grateful to see that we've done him a favor."

Isabella gasped in disbelief and seemed ready to give her child a slap across the face. "How dare you speak about him in such a way! He has taken care of you your whole life!"

"But only just."

Seraphina then linked arms with her mother and managed to coax her into the building, up the stairs, and to the bedroom that she would be occupying.

"I think you need a rest, mama," she explained as she guided her mother to the partially-made up bed in the midst of box-strewn room. "Come take a nap, won't you?"

"Terrible child, how can you expect me to sleep while we betray Septimus like this? It's not right!"

Isabella said this as Seraphina hoisted her legs onto the mattress and beneath the covers.

"He's been betraying us for a very long time, mama. Don't you see? This was best."

"He is _still _my husband and your father! We have a responsibility to him!"

As soon as Seraphina had smoothed out the quilt and the sheets that now covered her unstable mother, she plopped into a bedside chair and let out a much need sigh.

"And anyway," Isabella continued bitterly. "I don't see how you expect to pay for this place. You don't even have a job and if you even think of asking me to go out and find one, I will smack you so hard-"

"Hush," Seraphina instructed, successfully silencing her. "I know I need to find a job, I'm not stupid. Give me some time, I'll figure something out."

"You have no skills, nothing to offer. What do you expect to do?"

This was the very last thing she needed to hear and she had been trying her utmost to not think about it. She supposed it was somewhat inevitable, however, that her mother would be the one to remind her.

"I'll figure something out," she reiterated half-heartedly.

Fortunately for her, the buzzer to the apartment building sounded at that precise moment, thereby extracting her from the extremely uncomfortable conversation. She immediately leapt up from the hard wooden chair.

"Go to sleep, mama," she threw over her shoulder before exiting the room and closing the door behind her.

Much to both her relief and delight, it was clearly Victor's voice that requested entrance over the intercom, and Victor's form that appeared when she opened the apartment door.

"Victor!" she squealed, excited to see the person she was determined to make her friend. "What brings you here?"

"I was wondering if Ziggy was in?" he asked as politely as possible, craning his neck to try and get a look around her shoulder. "I just thought I'd ask whether she's heard anything from Sally…?"

Seraphina seized Victor by the sleeve and yanked him inside. She may have given him a vocal invitation at some point while doing this, but it was hard for him to hear or concentrate with the swooshing of air in his ears and the slamming of the door. He supposed, given the circumstances, the point was rather moot anyway.

After having done this, Seraphina skipped into the small kitchen space and placed a kettle on the front oven burner.

"Sorry, Victor, you just missed her. But her pile of mail is right over there on the counter. Perhaps a letter from Sally is somewhere in there?"

Victor resorted to his more common nervous tic- the adjusting of his tie. "W-w-well, I can't very well shuffle through her mail…"

The vampire woman laughed and swished a hand at him while she endeavored to pull two tea cups out of the highest cabinet.

"Nonsense, Victor. She's been looking for you for the mere purpose of telling you what that letter says. Might as well save her some of the effort, eh?"

Though it went against every last piece of etiquette and morality that Victor had learned in his rather extended lifetime, he was eager to find out how Sally was doing; all the better if he could figure out where she currently was. So after having convinced himself he was entitled to the information as a concerned close friend, Victor sucked in a breath and allowed himself to weasel through the stacks of letters. He searched only for signs of her handwriting and tried not to focus on the other pieces of mail, lest he violate Ziggy's privacy (though it was rather difficult, particularly when a few of the letters were clearly from male escort services. Victor's mind couldn't help but wonder at that).

He finally came upon the envelope he was looking for and was relieved to see that Ziggy had already opened it. His eyes darted around suspiciously to make sure that no accusatory looks were being shot his way before beginning to read.

"Did you want some tea?" asked Seraphina, who had at some point maneuvered to the breakfast table behind him. He jumped slightly.

"Oh…uhm…y-y-yes, actually, that sounds quite nice."

With eyes still fixed on the rather brief letter, he slowly made his way over and sat down in the chair opposite his host.

"Anything interesting?" she asked, pouring him a piping hot cup of brick-red liquid.

"W-w-well…yes, as a matter of fact. It appears Sally is living with a rather well-to-do family in Easter Town."

Victor put the letter down in enough time to see Seraphina wrinkle her nose.

"_Easter Town_? Ick, no thanks. Far too much sunlight and pastel for my taste."

"How do you know what it looks like?"

"It isn't hard to guess, is it?"

He couldn't really help the chuckle that answered this. "No, I suppose not. Then again, with all that sunlight, it's not as if you'd stand much of a chance for survival there in any case."

"_Certainly,_ I wouldn't, even if I weren't a vampire. But if Sally feels at home there, I suppose I shouldn't chastise it completely."

They were silent as Victor took a moment to write down Sally's new address and Seraphina stirred her own cup.

"Well then…it looks like you'll really be living here after all…"

She cocked an eyebrow and grinned slyly. "Did you think I was bluffing?"

"Not necessarily…I just wasn't sure if you were serious."

"Well, now you know something else about me, don't you, Victor? I mean what I say."

She winked at him and he simply chuckled once more before taking a sip of his tea. This particular taste brought him to recognize the beverage as _calf's blood tea_, a favorite amongst the bloodsucking folk in the town. He had to agree; the blood of the calf was noticeably more full-bodied and sweet than the other blood teas in existence.

"I do have a little bit of a problem, though," Seraphina mentioned cautiously. "I'm unfortunately unemployed…regrettably, I've never been, so that leaves me somewhat unmarketable. I…don't quite know how we will be able to make the rent legitimately."

Victor was made a slight bit curious by her last choice of words, but decided it might be best not to inquire as to what she meant.

"Well…in addition to this apartment, Sally has also left her position as Jack's assistant vacant and available. When he returns from his honeymoon tomorrow, you might want to pop over and see if he won't give you an interview."

Her eyes noticeably lit up.

"You think so? You think he'd be interested in me as a candidate?"

Victor shrugged. "I can't see why not. Jack isn't exactly the type to hire based on credentials. I'd say he bases decisions like that more on how well he likes the person."

Seraphina took a moment to consider this, chewing her nails thoughtfully all the while.

"I guess it can't hurt to give it a try!" she eventually decided. Victor nodded encouragingly.

Truthfully though, this encouragement of his was not done purely out of concern for Seraphina's predicament. The more selfish part of Victor's nature –though miniscule- had managed to briefly grab hold of his judgment and tell him it might be wise to have Sally's former position filled. If she ever came back, which he had already convinced himself she would, it would not suit his purposes to have her so close to Jack once again. If there was an unspoken attraction, it needed to not be consummated any further; if not for the sake of Jack's marriage, then for the sake of his and Sally's happiness.

Perhaps, he thought to himself, she would have time during her stay in Easter Town to realize a pursuit of Jack will only end in tragedy. _Perhaps, _this time will help her discover feelings she may have for other close male friend, and _perhaps_, she will be interested in exploring those feelings upon her return. For this reason, it was best she not be so close to Jack again. It was for her own good, really.

_Really, _it was.

* * *

When the fires were lit and had been roaring strong for a good while, the cauldron steadily came to a lovely, rolling boil. Helga's trained senses knew just when the time was right; when the sound of the boil had the exact, ideal intonation, when the scent of the heated liquid was at its peak, and when the vibrations of the activity were at the precise frequency.

She hobbled over to the cauldron and up on her step stool so she could reach the top of the water for a good sniff.

"Ahhh…" she sighed, deeply inhaling the rich bouquet. "_Perfect_."

She then turned to her younger sister and Herb Dobberstein, both of whom were endeavoring to cut dried herbs and prepare the other ingredients.

"Are you both ready yet?" she demanded to know with a screech. "The potion is _ready_! The time is _now_!"

Zelda skipped over with a tray of the first few items Helga would require. "We're working on the others, sister, but we'll have them when you need them!"

Helga grimaced at her. "See that you do!"

She then returned to her bubbling concoction, smiling at it with the same pride a mother might to her child. She then carefully inserted a large wooden spoon and began to mix the silken liquid in long, purposeful swirls.

"Yeeesss…" she hissed. "Just perfect; a testament to my witchy abilities!"

"Are you absolutely sure this is a good idea?" Herb asked. "It seems a bit…risky to me…"

"Hush!" Helga commanded. "I don't need advice on magick from a walking corpse, thank you very much. You two keep preparing those ingredients and keep your mouths shut!"

Zelda and Herb, meanwhile, shared a private eye roll which Helga thankfully missed due to her preoccupation with the cauldron. They had both agreed earlier that this plan was flawed and had a notably high risk of failure. Still, it would be more of a loss to Helga if the plan didn't go over as intended than either of them. For this reason, they consented to help without much argument.

Herb's last outburst was a futile attempt at a final appeal to Helga's sensibilities- or the apparent lack thereof.

"Double, double, toil and trouble, fire burn and cauldron bubble…"

Herb leaned over to whisper to Zelda. "_Really_? Macbeth? That's not _incredibly _cliché and predictable…"

Zelda shrugged. "She didn't have time to come up with an original rhyme. Might as well use the old standby…"

"Leg of frog and eye of cat," the elder witch continued, adding these ingredients into the liquid with unappetizing plops. "Ear of rabbit and wing of bat! A sprinkle of the nettle leaf will ensure ample grief…nightshade is the final herb that will to this potion disturb…"

Zelda suddenly gasped and began looking frantically around the preparation table. "The snake egg!" she whispered sharply. "_Where's _the snake egg? She's about to get to the part about the snake egg…we need to find the snake egg!"

"_Zelda…_" Helga called impatiently through her teeth. "The snake egg, if you please?"

Herb and the younger witch were now both on their knees, scrambling around the cobblestone floor of the basement searching for the egg that had no doubt rolled off somewhere.

"_Zelda…_the snake egg, now…!"

"Just a minute, sister!" Zelda called back as sweetly and calmly as possible.

Herb, having decided there was no more time to waste searching for a common egg, simply grabbed one of the multitude of snakes the sisters kept in large glass tank. While it flailed and hissed angrily in his hands, he unceremoniously squeezed the creature down its length like a tube of toothpaste and produced a shapely egg from its end. He tossed the glossy item to Zelda, who then tossed it to her older sister.

Helga simply sighed and rolled her eyes before knocking the egg on the lip of the cauldron and breaking it over the steaming liquid.

"Broken over is egg of snake from whence will come a frothy wake. The last of these is peacock feather, sure to bring it all together!"

Thankfully, this last item she kept on her person, thereby eliminating another object Zelda and Herb could lose.

"Double, double, toil and trouble, fire burn and cauldron bubble! For one clear purpose was this potion made and so its intentions will soon be displayed! The final bit is two halves of a whole with which will be made one single soul…"

She then winked at her two comrades before withdrawing from her person what was clearly the Pumpkin King's curved, ivory rib; the very same, in fact, that Zero had lost at the reception.

Zelda cackled and produced a sealed lock of golden brown hair from her own inner pocket.

"How'd you get that?" Herb felt compelled to ask.

"I snipped it off Tivona while she was living here. Helga says we should _always _keep samples of those we know and meet."

Helga nodded, confirming the fact. "You never know when they might come in handy. Now bring that lock over here, sister, and add it to the pot!"

Zelda complied to her sister's request with a giddy skip.

"A piece of him," Helga said, adding the rib to the potion. As the hair sample was dropped in directly afterwards, she added, "a piece of her. The mixture is done with one final stir!"

As soon as Helga's spoon had made a smooth, complete turn around the circumference of the cauldron, the now emerald green liquid squeaked, bubbled, and then erupted like a volcano, sending a huge cloud of smoke up into the basement ceiling.

Helga laughed wickedly in triumph, casting her arms up into the air.

"It's _perfect_!" she announced with a squeal. She then nodded to her younger sister who proceeded to cover the top of the cauldron with its heavy iron lid.

"It will be fully ready by tomorrow, sister," Helga informed her. "Do _not _disappoint me."

Zelda simply nodded knowingly. "Have I ever, Helga?"

* * *

She had gotten fairly used to them by now; so much so that she could almost feel their impending arrival.

The first few had been rather ineffective and misguided, though she couldn't really blame him for simply doing what he knew. The huge spider hidden in her book, for example, wound up serving as the main ingredient of their afternoon meal rather than the cause of a satisfying, blood-curdling scream from her. A similar fate met the frog that he slipped down the back of her dress, and so it didn't take long for him to learn that 'gross' critters were not the best weapons to use against her. She also learned that while spiders, frogs, insects and other crawly beings might be considered delicacies in Halloween Town, they were seen as positively repulsive in Easter Town and would not be well received by the two children in her charge –nor anyone else for that matter-. She didn't quite understand it, but she supposed respect for the other culture was pivotal to mutual understanding.

It didn't seem to deter young Alistair, however, no matter how many times she would acquiesce to fix his favorite meal of Welsh rarebit. As the week wore on, he worked to perfect his 'prank pulling' talents. The bucket of sludge dropped on her when she opened the door of her cottage one morning was unpleasant, the trip into the pond on one of their afternoon walks and the subsequent soaking walk back home was uncomfortable, and setting fire to the hem of her dress was just downright dangerous, considering especially that she was a _rag doll_.

But there was no comparison to _this_. _This _was just downright evil.

It wasn't until mid-morning that Sally realized Alistair was missing. She didn't spend most of her time with him, both because he was older and more independent than Lotte, and because he wouldn't have stayed by her side even if she had chained him there. It wasn't abnormal for him to run free about the estate and Sally had learned not to worry about it. She always felt his presence anyhow, especially when that aforementioned sense of impending doom clouded her senses.

The time was 10 am-ish and Sally was sitting and reading with Lotte out on the front porch. The weather was mild and clear -as per usual- and a light, cooling breeze wafted through the surrounding sycamore trees. Absolutely nothing seemed amiss until Sally realized that her inexplicable ability to feel Alistair's presence was gone. That, of course, could only mean that _he_ was gone. Furthermore, he hadn't pulled one single prank all morning. How could that not have alerted her suspicions earlier?

"Lotte," Sally said tenuously, interrupting the child's attempt to read about Peter Rabbit's venture into Farmer McGregor's garden. "Have you seen your brother at all this morning?"

Lotte's large blue eyes looked up at Sally. "At breakfast."

Yes, that was the last place Sally had seen him too. There was nothing abnormal about that. Seeing Alistair only at mealtimes was a fairly regular part of their schedule. _Still, _she couldn't shake her intuition.

"I think we better go find out where he's gotten off to."

She then stood, shifting Lotte off of her lap. The young girl looked nothing if not inquisitive and confused, but Sally was not about to let her know she was worried. There would be no point in making her worry too if there was no good reason for it.

Thankfully, Lotte didn't question this. She simply closed the book, slid off of the cushioned porch settee, and took her nanny's hand. Sally squeezed hers back and gave her a reassuring smile. To be truthful, it was for the comfort of both of them.

She instinctively led them off the porch and down the path leading into the thick, forested area that surrounded the estate. In Halloween Town, forested areas were meant to be feared and it was a given that only the scariest, most vile beings lived within. For this reason, Sally felt naturally apprehensive when the children would want to go skipping off into the trees, even if she had already gotten the feeling that there wasn't much to be afraid of in Easter Town (if anything at all).

At this point, she could only hope that this was all part of an elaborate scheme to prank her. If so, it was his most ingenious yet.

* * *

"I'm _so _tired," Tivona groaned as Jack helped her step down from the carriage. "I'm going straight upstairs to take a nap…"

She adjusted her black parasol and shifted her chic sunglasses farther up the bridge of her nose before drifting past her new husband, straight to the wide stairway leading up to their recently built castle.

He wasn't particularly fazed by her behavior, as it had been the norm for the entire week of their honeymoon. He had already shrugged it off as a consequence of wedding planning stress and decided she would probably bounce back from it all eventually. He couldn't lie and say that he would have preferred to not be alone as he enjoyed all the activities the snowy Mistletoe Mountains had to offer. But he didn't complain when Tivona slept or stayed in all day while he skied, snow-shoed and sled. She would at least join him in the evenings when he would read in front of the fire, either sprawled out beside him so he could idly scratch circles on her back with his bony fingers or in the nearby chaise with a book of her own.

On the whole, it had been a quintessentially quiet and uneventful respite from the stresses of the monarchy and for that reason alone he was grateful, even if it hadn't been all he had imagined his honeymoon would. Oh well, best laid schemes and all that…

For now, he needed to focus on getting back to work almost immediately. There was so much to be caught up on and the Mayor would no doubt want to brief him on the time he missed. There was also the meeting with the Holiday Council to judge his performance on the Halloween Festivities and, hopefully, revoke his charge of identity theft for last year's Christmas.

So much to do, and daylight was quickly burning away.

So after sending a random servant off to take care of the carriage and its skeletal horses, Jack ascended the steps to the castle and entered his new home.

It was definitely different, he decided upon first glance of the cavernous, palatial entrance. _And he thought his estates' lobby was huge…_

It was certainly lovely and fitting for the Halloween Royal family, what with all the twisted, gothic designs and overall ebony color scheme. The torches and portraits of demons on the stone walls added a certain _je ne sais quoi_ as well. So he decided he liked it and would eventually get used to the difference. It was what his Queen wanted, after all, and Jack knew compromise was vital to a healthy marriage. He would make do.

"Excuse me," Jack said to a servant that had happened to cross his way at that moment. "Could you tell me where my…area of business is going to be?"

The skeleton servant bowed. "Of course, your majesty. Right this way."

When they eventually arrived at his new office- which was much like his older one in the sense that it doubled as library, only this one was about as large as a cathedral sanctuary- he was surprised to be greeted by a more animated Tivona than he'd seen in a good long while.

"Darling," he remarked, a little pleased to see her perking up. "I thought you'd gone to take a nap?"

She pursed her crimson lips. "I was interrupted by some random girl wandering the halls. She says she needs to _speak _with you."

Every syllable dripped with acidic suspicion, but Jack didn't fixate on that.

"A girl? Did she say what she wanted to speak with me about?"

"Not a word," Tivona quipped. Jack simply chuckled a bit and placed a reassuring hand on the small of her back, leading her to accompany him as he walked.

"Well, let's go see what she needs then, shall we, my love?"

Tivona began to whisper sharp, irritated complaints about her discomfort with mysterious women coming to visit him. His attempts to reassure her that none of them would have any other business with him other than _business _largely fell on deaf ears.

When they eventually arrived at Jack's desk in the center of the gigantic room/library, the girl spun around in her chair and Jack immediately recognized her as the young vampire woman Victor floated off to dance with at the reception.

She stood immediately, smiling widely and almost forgetting to curtsey to the both of them.

"Oh my gosh…King Jack! I-I-I'm so honored to finally be meeting you…in person!"

She curtseyed again, almost tumbling over this time in the process.

"Oh, well…thank you very much, my dear, the pleasure is ours."

"And your name would be…?" Tivona interjected impatiently.

The girl gasped slightly and clapped a hand over her mouth. "Oh, um, of course! I-I-I'm s-s-so sorry, how rude of me! My name is Seraphina Belvoir."

"Belvoir?" Tivona repeated. "So you're related to Septi- _Lord_ Belvoir?"

Seraphina nodded, her face falling slightly. "Yes, he's…my father."

Jack didn't notice his wife critically survey Seraphina up and down and suddenly become miraculously subdued.

"Well," she said flatly, dropping her hands from her hips. "I suppose I should leave you two to your _business_."

Tivona then turned to sashay out of the office when Seraphina called after her.

"Oh, your majesty-er, Queen Tivona, I…uhm…have something to give you!"

She stumbled over to the vastly more poised woman, rummaging around in her dog-eared hobo bag all the while. Tivona simply wrinkled her nose in confusion, disgust, and impatience as she awaited the forthcoming _something_.

"Here!" Seraphina announced, handing her a decorated vile. "It was a wedding gift from the Witch Sisters. They came earlier to give it to you but you weren't yet back from your vacation."

Tivona received the small bottle and eyed it curiously before slipping it unceremoniously into the side of her cleavage. "I appreciate it," she mentioned half-heartedly, before turning on her heel and resuming her trek to the bed chambers.

Jack's hand quickly came to reassuringly pat Seraphina's shoulder, making her jump and spin around to face him.

"I apologize if my wife has made you nervous," he smiled, leading the young Vampire woman back to her formerly occupied chair. "It's been a long week for her and she's especially tired."

Seraphina simply nodded in understanding and sat back down. Jack took the large, comfortable chair behind the desk and adjusted himself to the feel of it for a brief moment.

"Well then," he said finally. "What brings you here today, Miss Belvoir?"

Her dark eyes lit up suddenly like a match strike.

"King Jack," she began confidently, straightening her spine. "I'd like to apply for the position as your personal assistant."

She then flopped a stapled collection of papers that looked like a resume out before him, but he hardly took notice of this as his mind suddenly went blank.

It wasn't that he had forgotten about Sally- quite the opposite, actually, no matter how much he tried not to. He _had_ selectively forgotten that her position was now technically empty and that if she didn't return sooner or later he'd have to replace her. _Not that she ever really could be…_

"Oh…I see…" He picked up the resume and held it out at arm's length, idly reading the text which he gathered explained extensively how Seraphina had never had a job before. "Well…there's some issue that, you see…"

He massaged the temples of his skull as he placed the paper back down. Seraphina held her breath in nervous anticipation.

"My former assistant…Sally Stitches, that is, hasn't yet formerly resigned from her position. You understand that I can't replace her until she does so, don't you Miss Belvoir?"

Seraphina shifted nervously in her seat before pointing tenuously at an envelope near Jack's right elbow. Despite clearly being addressed in Sally's signature handwriting, Jack was somehow only taking notice of it now.

"I…think that might be it, your Majesty. It was brought in while I was waiting here."

Jack gaped at the envelope for a moment before picking it up and using the nearby letter opener to reveal its contents. He couldn't deny that a part of him was hoping, praying this would be a promise of her return, or at the very least an issue of forgiveness. But when he finally unraveled the folded parchment within, he was greeted by no more than the cold, stark professionalism of an official resignation notice. It might as well have been a generic template as there was nothing remotely personal or unique to Sally about it in the least.

Is _this _what they're relationship had finally boiled down to? Is _this _the sort of damage that one misplaced kiss could do? He had never felt more hollow or alone before.

That's when Seraphina coughed to regain his attention, of which she only got a remnant. Jack simply sighed, and muttered some quick apologies about not being 'all there'.

"How soon could you start?" he asked her matter-of-factly, not feeling quite up to the preliminary explanation of the duties this job required. Seraphina squealed and jumped slightly in her seat before replying, "As soon as you need me, sir!"

Jack nodded. "It appears I need you now. Come with me and we'll get your desk in order."

* * *

As to be expected, Lotte plopped herself down on a nearby log and began to make argumentative moans. They _had_ been searching the forest for the better part of two hours, after all, with still no sign of Alistair. Sally didn't blame the child for being tired.

"_Sally_…my feet _hurt_…"

Sally was grateful Lotte had apparently not caught on to her deepening concern for Alistair's whereabouts. It was becoming more difficult to suppress it the more time passed with no sign of him.

"Just for a bit longer, Lotte. I'm sure your brother is around here somewhere."

She then knelt down, offering her a piggy-back ride in lieu of walking. Sally wasn't about to give up the search _that_ quickly and it would be a way for Lotte to get afternoon nap in without having to forfeit. Lotte agreed to this with a groan, and so Sally hoisted her on her back and resumed the path ahead.

She was asleep within seconds and Sally was soon very grateful for this. The sight that met them not a half a mile ahead was one that she wouldn't have even wished to be in Lotte's nightmares.

* * *

After having exchanged her restrictive, corseted dress for a sensible set of lacy, revealing pajamas, Tivona dimmed the lights in the darkened royal bedchamber and slipped under the luxurious bedcovers. She then propped up her pillow and began to flip through the latest issue of 'Halloween Vogue'. Between doing this, sleeping, and maybe giving herself a pedicure at some point, she'd whittle daylight away. It wasn't a particularly exciting game plan, but she hadn't felt the energy for doing much of anything else.

All in all, she was beginning to have the slightest pangs of regret for accepting her Vampirism so blindly, even if there was seldom little she could do about it now.

Before getting too involved in the line-up of gothic winter fashions, Tivona eyed the strange bottle allegedly given to her by the Witch Sisters which now sat on her bedside table. She uncorked and sniffed the solution within, noting that it smelled unmistakably like blood, if not a bit richer and sweeter and much more appetizing. Despite how hungry the scent was making her for the solution itself, Tivona stilled with a slight hesitation. How wise would it actually be to consume this? She and the Witch Sisters were not on an exactly amicable footing, even if they had been bridesmaids at her wedding. And if this _was_ blood how in the world did they know she had been turned into a vampire? She couldn't remember telling them…then again, she couldn't remember much of the wedding at all…

It also seemed like a very strange wedding present to give someone, but then again, this _was_ Halloween Town. It could very well have been a custom to gift the bride with a vial of blood. She couldn't say for sure.

She _did _know that her head was beginning to swim from the intoxicating fumes and that it was only a matter of time before she drank it, regardless of the probable consequences.

_What the hell, _she eventually decided. _I'm technically dead anyway. What's the worst they can do to me?_

And so she idly sipped from the vial as she returned to her magazine, savoring the mouthwatering, orgasmic taste of the fluid as she did so and feeling grateful that she didn't will herself out of it at the last minute.

"Enjoying ourselves, are we?"

If her heart was still in working order, she knew it'd be fluttering right now at the sound of that melodically smooth voice. She didn't need to look up to see who it belonged to either as she'd know it anywhere. This thankfully worked in her favor as she attempted to put her plan into action of playing hard to get. She had been far too easy with him and now that her Vampirism had allowed her a certain amount of immunity to his inherent allure she could be free to reciprocate his game of cat and mouse.

"Maybe," she answered casually, not bothering to look up from her magazine. "I'd be enjoying myself a lot more if I didn't feel so damn tired all the time. Have I thanked you properly yet for turning me into _this_?"

Septimus simply chuckled throatily and she could hear him slowly making his way over from the farthest corner of the bedchamber.

"I'll ask you to not forget that the change was consensual. Besides, there's no need to fret. A lack of energy is simply a side-effect of the first few months. You'll get over that eventually."

She shrugged and made a small, almost imperceptible noise of indifference. Septimus continued to approach her until she could feel his weight settle on the bed. A quick, darting look from up over the pages revealed that he had casually seated himself at the end of the mattress. She had to work very hard to not let her excitement at this development shine through.

"How was the honeymoon?" he asked bemusedly after a time.

She scoffed slightly. "'Don't really remember. I was asleep through most of it.

Septimus smirked. "How fortunate for you. I do believe there are many newlyweds who would envy you for that."

"Yeah, well…"

She took another idle swig of her vile, but was met by Septimus' hand before she could replace it on the end-table.

"What's this, then?" he asked, taking it from her and inspecting the tag.

"I dunno. Some wedding gift from the Witch Sisters."

He paused a moment to survey her with a disbelieving smile. She'd be lying to herself if she said she didn't notice him do it, magazine notwithstanding.

"You think it _wise _to consume something like this?" he almost laughed. "Good god, you've already finished the bottle. Well, the wheels are definitely in motion now."

She shrugged. "Whatever, I'm _dead_. You don't get much more screwed than that. What else could they possibly do to me?"

He leaned over to place the bottle back on the end table, lying down strategically beside her as he did so. Propping himself up on one elbow, he whispered in a dangerously close proximity to her ear,

"You'd be quite surprised."


	19. Chapter 17 Arachnids andPersonifications

**Chapter 17**

_Concerning Arachnids and Personifications  
_

**A/N- **I'm not sure there's a whole lot for me to say about this chapter. Things start getting a bit interesting, so prepare for some twists. Other than that...just read and let me know your thoughts, please! =D Oh, once more, a big thank you to everyone who has stayed with this story and continues to give feedback. I really enjoy hearing your thoughts/ideas! Keep 'em coming!

**Disclaimer- **Not mine.

* * *

Sally did her best to slide Lotte off of her back and deposit her on to the ground without waking her up. She was successful, thanks to Lotte's fatigue, and allowed herself a rather large, cathartic exhale before setting about to the task at hand.

The upside of her current situation was that she had finally found Alistair. The not-so-good part was the fact that she had found him hanging upside down in what was clearly a spider's cocoon. She could see the faint glimmers of a humongous web not far in front of them, indicating that this could only be the work of a giant spider, not unlike those that roamed the hinterlands and woods of Halloween Town. She would have never guessed they inhabited the seemingly innocuous Easter forests as well, the knowledge of which made her even more perplexed as to why parents in this town allowed their children to roam free and unsupervised.

Using the sharpest stone she could find in her immediate area, Sally ripped and tore the thick, slimy threads of the cocoon apart and caught Alistair's ungainly form before he could hit the hard ground. He was just as slick with arachnid mucus as the strings that encased him, so she tried her best to wipe him off with the thick cotton of her dress. She'd worry about washing the mess out of the fabric later on.

But as she held him in her arms, she began to realize that the weight of an unconscious eight year old boy was considerably greater than that of a petite four year old girl. It'd be impossible for her to carry one on her back and the other in her arms all the way back to the manor, so she made the very difficult decision of waking Lotte up.

"What…?" Lotte asked groggily, rubbing the sleep from her eyes with her small, pudgy fists.

"I'm sorry, Lotte, but you're going to have to walk the rest of the way home. I can only carry Alistair for the time being."

Sally said this as casually and as calmly as she possibly could, but the sight of her older brother looking like he did still made Lotte's dark blue eyes widen in shock.

"Miss Sally…what's wrong with Alistair…?"

The child's voice quivered a bit as she verged between confusion and distress. Sally would have extended a hand to pet her pliant curls reassuringly, but her hand was sticky from the residual mucus.

"He's just sleeping, there's nothing to worry about," she said softly, wiping her hand on her dress to clean it as best she could before taking Lotte's. "He's just been injected with a certain kind of spider venom that puts the victim to sleep. Luckily, we arrived right before she came back, but now we've got to hurry and try to get back home."

Lotte simply stared at Sally blankly, clearly no more reassured or informed by her words.

"A…sss-pider…?"

It was more of a legitimate question of curiosity than one of disbelief or fear.

Sally nodded. "Yes, a spider. You know, like the small ones that live in your house or outside. In this case, however, I think the spider is _much _bigger than that."

"What's a spider, Miss Sally?"

She couldn't help but find the question unusual at first, considering especially that their world was inhabited by giant versions of them, but she soon considered the possibility that they perhaps called spiders by a different name.

"It's an eight-legged creature, usually no bigger than a typical bug. They spin sticky webs that they use to catch their food. Doesn't that sound familiar?"

Lotte simply shook her head, somehow even more puzzled than before. Sally found this somewhat strange, if not a little worrying, but chose instead to focus on getting the children home safely as soon as possible.

* * *

Jack didn't like wearing his crown.

He had only ever acquiesced to it for special occasions, but even then it was something of a burden. He supposed he just didn't like feeling separate from the people of Halloween Town. Sure, he was their king and their leader and technically on a higher plane of authority, but he didn't necessarily enjoy wearing an emblem that stood as testament to the fact.

He also hated the way he was treated when he wore it. Placing the crown on his head meant transforming from dear ol' Jack into _His Royal Highness, King Jack Skellington_, and this was exhibited explicitly when the townsfolk would go out of their way to bow, curtsy, and refer to him by his regal title. It was ridiculous really; the only thing that stood between them and himself was a bit of fancy metal. It didn't make him a different skeleton, didn't they realize that?

Jack knew that if Tivona had her way he'd be wearing it all the time. She was adamant about making sure Jack acted as a King 'should', which by her definition meant spending lavishly and taking every opportunity to remind everyone of his authority. So it came as no surprise when she approached him from behind that morning as he stared blankly into the vanity mirror, kissed him on the cheekbone, adjusted his crown and said,

"You should wear it more often."

He smiled back at her as sincerely as possible before she sashayed off elsewhere. He was certain he loved his wife, but there was no way he was going to listen to her suggestion this time. He simply needed to look nice and regal for the Holiday Council hearing that would be taking place in their throne room in less than an hour. Afterwards, the crown would most certainly return to its idle existence in the velvet box he kept it in.

"Are you ready yet, darling?" he called out, rising from the vanity stool and tending to his crooked tie. "We should probably be on our way to the throne room. The council will be arriving any moment now."

Tivona eventually reappeared, dabbing at her mascara-laden eyelashes with a handkerchief. She then hooked her arm around Jack's before he was given an opportunity to offer it.

"Are you nervous?" he asked her amusedly as they made their down the hall from the bedchambers.

She proudly titled her head upwards and straightened her spine. "_Certainly _not. I know I'm Queen material, after all. They're sure to love me. What's not to like?"

Jack simply chuckled. He admired Tivona's self-confidence, even if it was sometimes indistinguishable from narcissism. He supposed it was just a consequence of being as secure with oneself as she was.

"You really should wear that crown more often, you know," Tivona mentioned after a time. "It makes you look _so _regal."

Jack sighed. "But that's why I don't wear it often, you see. I don't like feeling regal."

"Good thing you're a _King_ then," Tivona snorted.

"No, no, you don't understand. Being King, at least for me, doesn't mean lording over my followers and getting whatever I want. Being King for me means being a leader, one that the people of this town can trust and admire-"

"Jack…might I remind you that we're on our way to a hearing because of what you did last Christmas? You weren't exactly being trustworthy and admirable when you made a mess of that holiday, now were you?"

Jack bowed his head and grew silent, caught somewhere between being hurt and angry. He had never known Tivona to be so curt before and it cut him deep. Even worse, he knew she was entirely right.

"Oh, come on, don't be like that," she grumbled, half-heartedly patting his hand. "All I'm saying is that no one's going to take you seriously unless you make them, especially considering your _history_. It's time you re-invent yourself. Be a _King_, Jack, and you'll get the respect you deserve."

At first, he felt a little indignant. He had been the leader of Halloween for at least 100 years now, and it seemed a bit silly that the townsfolk would suddenly turn on him after all that time. For the most part, he had done them no wrong and the Christmas Incident was much more of a drawback to himself and Christmas Town than anyone else. Furthermore, he had seen nothing to indicate that he was in danger of losing respect.

Still, though, Tivona was right about him betraying their trust. The townsfolk really did look up to him and they had believed him whole-heartedly when he told them assuming the Christmas duties would be a good idea. They never questioned Jack before then, not in the least. But it was no secret now that he had let them down, and there existed a very slight but ever-present skepticism towards him since the past December.

Perhaps she was right, he thought. Perhaps he did need to reinvent himself so as to earn back that same devotion he'd had before.

"So, you think if I were to be more like a monarch, the townsfolk would more readily forget the Christmas Incident?" he asked as they entered the throne room.

"Most definitely. We need to show them that we're worthy of their respect. They need to be reminded that you're the _King_."

Jack nodded as he led Tivona to her throne and sat down carefully in his own. "It seems…logical…" he said skeptically.

Tivona nodded, smoothing out her long black gown. "Of course it does, I thought of it. Aren't you glad I'm your Queen?"

She then extended her hand across his arm rest and he accepted it, smiling at her as warmly as he could through his dubiousness.

"Of course I am, ko'u aloha."

Seraphina suddenly came rushing in, interrupting their moment with the clack of her shoes on the marble floor and the sound of her heavy breathing.

"Your majesties," she gasped, attempting to regain her breath. "The council has arrived. Should I show them in?"

Jack smiled knowingly at both women before answering, "I doubt that will be necessary. The council should be able to find their way."

Before either of them could comment on their confusion, a bright ball of light formed in the middle of the room and steadily grew bigger and brighter. Seraphina shrieked and exited the premises as quickly as possible, her cloak thrown over head for protection. Tivona, on the other hand, remained where she was, gripping the arms of her chair until her knuckles turned white and pretending that her skin didn't burn as much as it actually did.

Eventually, the power of the light became too excruciating and she quickly dove behind the throne for some soothing shadow. Jack noticed this and craned his neck to try and get a good look at her from behind the large chair.

"Darling, is everything alright?"

"I'm fine." She lied in a pained squeak that was almost inaudible over the mysterious fanfare of trumpets that began to play.

Figures began to appear from the blinding light now that their musical accompaniment had been given the chance to announce them. The first to emerge was the Olympian ideal of a young man; reasonably tall, well-built, wavy blonde hair and crystal blue eyes, and an immaculate, knee-length toga that displayed his sun-kissed brown skin. He was followed by a curvy femme-fatale with snow-pale skin and voluminous jet black hair that cascaded down her mid-back. With her almond eyes, blood red lips and navy blue robes dotted with diamond-like sparkles, she would not have looked out of place in one of Halloween Town's vampire clans.

Following the two of them was a less astounding-looking man who appeared to be verging on the end of middle age. His dark brown hair and beard were peppered with flecks of gray and his eyes were tired, but his Renaissance-era clothing that was decorated with fallen autumn leaves and his chaperon hat that housed a cornucopia of grapes, apples, corn and squash seemed to say that there was more _life _to him than what met the eye.

The last of the group was a man and a woman of differing kinds of majesty. The man was exceptionally old and, with his long ivory beard and flowing robes, was not unlike a typical wizard in appearance. He carried a scythe in one arm and a large, pendulous stopwatch on the other. At his side was a woman decked out in a gown made purely of leaves, vines, branches and flowers, and her hair was interwoven with a wild, yet fluent tangle of the same kind of flora. It was almost as if she herself had sprouted from the ground and grown with the plants ever since.

The light quickly evaporated into nothingness as the beings themselves floated down from near the ceiling- where they had appeared- to the marble floor below.

"Jack Skellington," the nature woman sighed pleasantly, releasing a cloud of butterflies from her dress in welcome. "It truly is a pleasure to see you again, even under the current circumstances."

Jack descended from his throne and greeted the woman with a gracious peck on her hand, while Tivona slowly peered around from the safe shelter of her throne to make sure the light had been extinguished fully.

"Where is this lovely new wife of yours?" Nature woman asked, literally floating about the room in search of Tivona. "I can't wait to meet her!"

Jack chuckled warmly and came around to the back of Tivona's throne, where he proceeded to help her to her feet and lead her out into the open.

"Here she is, mam," he said proudly.

Nature woman glided up closer to Tivona than she was entirely comfortable with and placed a hand beneath her chin –one Tivona noticed was stained with dirt-.

"Oh, you must forgive us, my dear! Had I realized you were a vampire, I would not have had our entrance be so blinding!"

Jack laughed, while Tivona's eyes widened in shock. "Oh, no mam, she's not a vampire. She's just a bit pale, is all."

Nature woman shook her head, the vine tangled mess making waves out behind her as she did so. "She is most certainly a vampire, Jack Skellington, I can swear by it. I _am _Mother Nature, after all. You can ask Selene, if you don't believe me."

The gothic femme fatale simply nodded. "Definitely, she's a vampire. There's no question."

Jack turned Tivona by the shoulders to face him. "Is this true? Are you a vampire?"

She could only smile sheepishly. "Well…technically, _yes_…but-"

"I don't understand. Why didn't you just tell me that?"

"Well, _darling_, it happened fairly recently and I-"

The older man quickly interrupted the scene with an intrusive cough. "I don't mean to burden anyone present, but I think it would be most prudent if we got this hearing underway. The council's respective members have other places to be."

"Yes, yes, I quite agree," Mother Nature said, floating slightly above everyone's heads. "But I think some introductions are in order, first and foremost. Halloween's new Queen must know who and what we are. Father, would you care to start?"

The old man grumbled slightly and shifted his feet in impatience. "Very well. I am Father Time, the co-chairman of the Holiday Council for what I would hope were obvious reasons."

The middle-aged man with the cornucopia hat spoke next. "And I am Autumn, the human personification of the season. It's my job to oversee all of the fall-time holidays. Your husband and I are old friends, Mrs. Skellington. He is without a doubt one of the best and most diplomatic leaders I've ever had the pleasure of working with. He's also quite the dynamic fellow at parties! Speaking of which, who would like some wine?"

"Pour me some, Autumn!" the golden young man said, conjuring a goblet out of thin air. "I'll give my lyre a little tune up so we can have some musical accompaniment. Oh, and I'm Apollo, by the way, your highness. You might know me as the god of the sun."

He gave her a wink before going to work on his instrument.

"Last but certainly not least, I'm Selene, goddess of the moon," the femme fatale finished in her wry voice.

All Tivona could manage was a somewhat forced, broken, "It's…nice to meet you all. I'm Tivona- er, _Queen _Tivona."

Father Time once again took the opportunity to interject into the moment. "Now that we have all of the pleasantries out the way, may we _please_ move on the main event?"

A long table and chairs suddenly appeared and Father Time quickly helped himself to the middle seat. He pulled out spectacles and long scroll of paper while Autumn, Selene and Apollo grudgingly made their way over to their assigned chairs, swigging wine and singing along to the lyre all the while. Mother Nature continued to hover over the expanse of the throne room, watching them all as would a protective mother to her children.

Father Time continued, while Jack and Tivona drifted back to their seats.

"Jack Skellington, in the past year this council has declared you guilty of the charges of Identity Theft and Mortal Meddling Without Written Consent for what occurred last Christmas Eve. You originally pleaded guilty, and that, coupled with your long history of admirable behavior and leadership, awarded you a probationary sentence. It has come to our attention that during this time you made amends with Mr. Claus and have done your part to improve your Holiday and a town as a whole. For this reason, the Council has decided it is in the best interest of everyone involved to sentence you with a slap on the wrist, followed by a signed a pardon, revoking all charges. Autumn, if you please?"

Autumn waltzed up from his seat at the table to Jack's throne.

"Sorry about this, old chum. I'll be gentle."

He then took Jack's bony wrist in his hand and promptly swatted it with his fingers.

"Ow," Jack yelped, yanking his appendage back.

Autumn nodded with finality and skipped back over to the table to pour himself another goblet of wine.

Mother Nature then floated over to Jack, pardon and quill in hand. "Just sign here, dear," she instructed, giving him the writing utensil. "And we'll be all set."

Father Time was rising from his chair as soon as the pen tip touched the parchment and once Mother Nature had pocketed the signed document he called for everyone to prepare to leave.

"Aww, man, do we have to go so soon?" Apollo whined. "The party was just getting started! King Jack loves a good party, don't you bro?"

"Of course he does!" Autumn exclaimed. "I'm sure he'd love for us to stay awhile. There's plenty of wine and drinks to be had, Jackie-boy!"

Mother Nature coughed and eyed Jack knowingly.

"I do believe Jack and Tivona have things of their own to take care of this afternoon. They would no doubt appreciate some alone time, don't you think, children?"

Those in the council who had seemingly forgotten the 'vampire' discovery were soon reminded of it, and the awkward tension returned to the room full-force. Apollo, Autumn and Selene uncomfortably slithered off of their chairs –all of which abruptly disappeared- and muttered inaudible agreements as they shuffled towards the black void that had just formed in the middle of the room.

"So long, your Majesties," Mother Nature said sweetly, blowing them a literal flower petal kiss. "I do apologize for any inconvenience we might have caused. Do have a pleasant day, won't you?"

And with that, she spun around and was swallowed by the void. Because she was the last to enter, the void disappeared with a resounding pop, leaving Jack and Tivona to wallow in the lingering silence.

"…you're a _vampire_?" Jack finally asked, looking incredulously at his wife. Tivona shifted nervously and bit her lower lip.

"I _did_ say 'yes' to that question earlier…"

"I don't understand…when-how did this happen? Why didn't you just tell me? And while I'm on the subject, just how long _have _you been this way?"

Jack's voice was rising steadily in volume and agitation, making it all the more difficult for Tivona to conjure up a believable excuse.

"Not long. I, uh…got turned shortly after I came here. I didn't tell you because…uhm…"

She allowed herself a moment to mull over the possible fabrications she could use before happening upon a rather brilliant discovery. Putting on her most convincing face, she turned to her husband with watery eyes and replied,

"Because I was a mortal spirit when I first arrived here. I saw you from afar and fell in love almost instantly. I knew I couldn't live here or even meet you until I turned myself immortal, so I paid some random vampire to turn me. I did it because I _love _you, Jack…_so much_. I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner. Please say you're not angry?"

Jack seemed to metaphorically melt with her words, and he instantly abandoned his throne to throw himself at her feet.

"How could I be angry at you, kou aloha?" he breathed, staring deeply into her eyes and clasping her hands direly in his own. "I had no idea you felt so strongly. I do not deserve your love, my darling."

Tivona gently placed a hand on Jack's cheekbone and prepared to assure him that he most certainly did –or whatever was most appropriate for her to answer back with-, when she suddenly got the strangest compulsion. Her mouth began to water and her stomach churned like the sea in a hurricane and she could feel hot, acidic bile boiling up the length of her esophagus.

"Oh my g-" she began to exclaim, realizing immediately what the cause of the feeling was. She was interrupted, however, by said cause suddenly rising forward and being stopped only by her tightly-shutting lips and hand placed over her mouth.

Wrapping the opposite arm around her churning stomach, she rose from the throne, pushed pass her husband, and clambered out into the hallway. Grabbing the nearest empty vase, Tivona let her repressed compulsion spew outward.

Jack had followed after, catching only the tail-end of her episode, but seeing enough to know what had transpired.

"Tivona, for heavenssake, are you alright?"

She unceremoniously wiped her mouth with her sleeve before answering.

"Uhh…fine, I'm fine." It wasn't a lie. She definitely felt less nauseated. "I think I just need to lie down. I'm still experiencing some side-effects of early Vampirism."

Jack, being the caring and dutiful husband that he was, simply nodded in understanding and helped her graciously back to the bedchambers, believing every word she had told him.

* * *

When they eventually emerged from the woods and back on to the estate, it was already rather deep in the evening.

The sun had begun its disappearance behind the horizon, blanketing the sky in streaks of hot pink and orange. Meanwhile, crickets had begun to serenade them in that tell-tale sign of incoming nightfall and fireflies flickered around the grounds like fallen stars.

All three of them were in a bad way; Lotte was hungry and unbelievably tired, Alistair was still unconscious and limp, and Sally was already on the verge of dizziness from having to walk so far, carrying such a load without much sleep or nourishment. That was also not to mention how dirty they had all gotten, tromping around in the woods with arachnid mucus covering them.

Lionel and Augusta could be seen relaxing on the front porch, enjoying the subtle sights and sounds of the evening. Sally couldn't help but notice how blissfully unsuspecting they looked, as if there was nothing at all wrong with coming home to find the nanny and the children missing. She simply couldn't fathom how these people could be so blindly trusting of the world they lived in when huge, children-eating spiders roamed freely right outside their house.

It wasn't long before they caught sight of the trio making their way to the house, and instead of reacting violently to the sight of their slimy, unconscious son or starving, dirt-covered daughter, they instead rose gradually and eyed the three of them with genuine curiosity.

"Sally!" Augusta called out. "Is everything alright?"

Sally didn't answer until they had joined the couple on the porch. She quickly laid Alistair down on the nearby settee, feeling delicious relief from the overwhelming tension in her arms. Augusta and Lionel crowded around beside him, though neither of them seemed to understand the situation enough to be very worried. They were certainly more confused than anything else.

"He's perfectly fine," Sally said wearily. "He just had a little bit of a run-in with one of those big spiders. Lotte and I found him just in time."

This didn't seem to remotely enlighten them. In fact, if Lionel's furrowed eyebrows were any indication, this had only puzzled them further.

"_Spiders_? What the devil are you talking about, Miss Stitches?" he demanded to know, putting a strange emphasis of unfamiliarity on the first word.

She recalled once more the possibility that Easter Town referred to these creatures by another name, so she instead grabbed Lotte's drawing tablet that they always left on the end table next to the settee and quickly set about with the charcoal pen drawing a crude mock-up of the creature she spoke of. As soon as she finished, she presented the picture.

"We call them spiders where I come from. Perhaps here they have a different name?"

Augusta looked at Sally with large, blank eyes.

"Miss Stitches, there is no creature like this in our town, I assure you."

"Quite right," Lionel agreed sternly. "I've lived here the entirety of my life and have never seen or heard of anything so preposterous."

"I can promise you that they exist here, Mr. and Mrs. Price. When I found your son he was trapped in a cocoon near a web and covered in _this_." She quickly showed them the soiled part of her dress. "Those are definite signs of a giant spider's presence."

While Lionel shook his head dismissively, Lotte tugged on her mother's skirt and whined that she was hungry. Their attentions were soon diverted to their daughter, thus giving Lionel a viable reason to get angry.

"What have you been done to our children?" he demanded to know, narrowing his eyes at her. "My daughter is filthy and starving, my son unconscious! I _knew _it was a mistake letting you stay here. I was a fool to let you get within a foot of my children!"

Augusta placed reassuring hands on her husband's arm.

"Darling, please," she begged, only to have her appendages shrugged off.

"You," Lionel said threateningly, pointing directly at Sally. "I will have sent back to where you came from first thing in the morning. For the time being, I'm going to search the woods for some kind of reasonable answer to what happened to my son!"

And without so much as a dip back in the house for some kind of weapon, Lionel stomped off the porch and onto the path leading into the wilderness. Sally clambered after him, holding her excess skirts up so they wouldn't impede her speed.

"No, Mr. Price, you mustn't! The spider will have returned by the time you get there and she's sure to be hungry. There could be dozens more out there besides. Please, don't do this!"

But he ignored her completely, soon disappearing into the foliage. Desperate, Sally turned and looked at Augusta. Both she and Lotte were stricken with a kind of fear seemingly neither of them had ever known.

"Please, let me go after him," Sally pleaded in a soft voice. "These creatures aren't foreign to me." She neglected to mention what might happen if she didn't. Augusta may have been more naïve and trusting than the average middle-aged woman, but she was not delusional enough to think that Lionel could handle a beast like that on his own without proper weaponry.

Augusta sighed. "Lionel's rifles are in the closet nearest the front door."

Sally nodded in understanding and headed purposefully into the house to prepare to go after Mr. Price.

* * *

Really, this new Vampirism stuff was getting ridiculous.

The drowsiness and insatiable hunger were far more than she had ever wanted or bargained for. Now, much to her chagrin, she could plan to add nausea and vomiting to the mix. _How long was this going to last, anyway_?

Once Jack had deposited her in the bedchambers, she didn't immediately go to sleep like she had told him she would. The perpetual drowsiness was thankfully slowly wearing off but was apparently going to be replaced by symptoms of greater irritation. She did, however, change into her pajamas, releasing herself from the restricting, suffocating confines of her dress and corset. As she did so, she was reminded of yet another frustrating side-effect; weight gain. She had always been gifted with a naturally svelte figure that could nary be affected by any influx of calories, but that had seemed to abruptly change as of late. The gowns that normally sat comfortably on her were now almost like a second skin. Her hips and breasts, especially, had mysteriously amplified significantly in the past few weeks.

Then again, she had never seen or heard of a fat vampire with especially tender bosoms, so she supposed this would all eventually wear off, hopefully sooner rather than later.

"You seem troubled, child. Is everything as it should be?"

Tivona nearly jumped out of her robe at the spontaneous voice.

"What the hell-?" she gasped, turning around swiftly to see none other than Mother Nature floating above the four post king bed.

Mother Nature simply giggled. "Oh goodness, I've made a mess of my entrance again, it seems. There's no pleasing you, I suppose, Mrs. Skellington?"

Tivona simply grumbled as she adjusted her robe and sat down at the nearby vanity mirror.

"I thought you all had left. Is there something you need from me?"

"It's a charming sentiment, Mrs. Skellington, but there's seldom little my children can do for me, even the immortal ones."

The next thing Tivona knew, Mother Nature was sitting beside her on the vanity stool. She was compelled to jump in surprise again.

"You mustn't feel so uncomfortable around me! I'm as good as your Mother."

Tivona scoffed and began to focus her attention on messing idly with her hair.

"I didn't feel comfortable around my biological mother," she said flatly. "Why would I treat you any different?"

Mother Nature smiled knowingly. "Leilani Kellikoa was never very attentive, was she? And Tierney O'Dwyer was an even worse father, good gracious. You never really knew him outside of the once-a-year visits, did you? No wonder it's so difficult for you to take comfort with me."

Tivona stared blankly into the reflective surface. "…how did you-?"

"How many times must I remind you that I am _Mother Nature_?"

"Whatever." She grumbled in reply, trying once more to divert her attention to primping herself in the mirror, not wanting 'Mother Nature' to think she had even a thread of her attention. "Is there something you needed from me? I'd like to take a nap soon and it's going be really difficult to go to sleep with a weirdo Nature woman floating around."

"I wanted to speak with you, Mrs. Skellington, if only briefly. You _are_ the Queen of Halloween now and I think you need to understand what that title truly implies."

Tivona said nothing, and so Mother Nature continued.

"Being the Queen of Halloween means being a Holiday leader, not just an idol for the townsfolk to worship. You're as much of one now as your husband. Unfortunately, not many of the Halloween beings know you nearly as well as they do Jack, but that's why it's vital that you establish a good rapport with them. You need to earn their trust and confidence like your husband did. I don't suppose Jack told you any of this before you two were engaged?"

She took Tivona's silence to mean 'No'.

"To be perfectly honest, dear, it seems to me and the rest of the council that you have quite a bit of improvement to make as a Holiday leader. It's really nothing to fret about, I'm sure you have the capacity to do so, but please understand that it is expected of you. There will be many more eyes on you, now that you're a leader, and not necessarily those of your people. You should conduct yourself with that in mind. Do you understand?"

"Sure," she sighed, trying to seem nonchalant. Mother Nature smiled warmly and touched Tivona's shoulder before rising and heading towards another one of those black voids she had disappeared into before.

"Oh, there _is_ one more thing I thought I should mention to you."

Tivona looked up at her through the mirror's reflection, more irritated than curious.

Mother Nature smiled once more, regaining that uncomfortable sense of knowing familiarity. Her eyes, which were colored a striking light, Emerald green, glinted in the dimmed light of the bed chamber as she said,

"The symptoms you've been experiencing lately are _not _those of early Vampirism. You are, in fact, quite pregnant."

With that, she vanished into the void. Tivona's mouth fell open as her hand slacked and the hairbrush she had been using came clattering to the stone floor.


	20. Chapter 18 SheBeasts

_Chapter 18 - She-Beasts_

**A/N- **I have to say I'm rather pleased with this chapter, all-in-all. I feel like there's a lot of dialogue, but there's also a hopefully fun/bad-ass action scene in here that might make up for all the jibber-jabber. On the whole though, I felt like a lot of talking was necessary since it seems like I wasn't as blatantly clear about certain things as I should have been in the last installment. Hopefully this chapter will clear some things up. Also, I wanted to let you guys know that it's both acceptable and encouraged to hate Tivona. I haven't exactly written her to be a sympathetic character at this point, so don't feel the need to apologize for bashing her. ;D Just FYI, the herbs I mention in here were not pulled from my ass. They come from The Nine Herbs Charm found in the Anglo-Saxon _Lacnunga _(a book of medical texts and prayers that was written primarily in Latin and Old English). I just thought it was kinda cool and since I wanted Sally to have a somewhat legitimate knowledge of medicinal herbs, I decided to use a few of what I found in the charm. _  
_

**Disclaimer**- Nope, still not mine.

* * *

Sally walked as gingerly as she could manage down the man-made forest trail.

She was rather surprised at herself for not being at all frightened, given her current location and the mission she was setting out to accomplish. Truthfully though, the Easter Town woods were nothing if not as completely benign as Easter Town itself, especially when compared to those that bordered her home. They felt –dare she say it?- almost relaxing.

Instead of howling forebodingly through barren, mangled branches, the mild evening wind blew calmly through the leafy trees, causing them to swish and sigh like children on the verge of sleep. Fireflies dotted the path and surrounding ground here, too, and seemed to dance to the musical accompaniment of the crickets. The air also smelled rather bitter sweet and fresh, like a mix of lemongrass and clean soil.

_It must all be very suffocating for the spiders, _she thought, finding it hard to imagine that said creature would prefer any environment over that of Halloween Town, particularly this one. It was one of the many reasons (the Price's ignorance being a major factor, of course) she had begun to suspect foul play. It certainly could have been something innocent, such as an arachnid egg being accidentally carried over by one of the Halloween Town citizens, one of the possible risks of assimilation. But that just didn't suit somehow. She had no concrete reason to think it had been done deliberately, but it was impossible to shake the suspicion.

While she mulled the matter over, she took care to gather a few herbal items in case they'd be required when she found Mr. Price. Crabapples sprouted from a few of the trees she passed, and that, along with the cockspur grass that she could simply rip from the ground, was the easiest to collect. She still needed watercress, however, which she knew wouldn't be impossible to find since she saw some growing in a pond farther down the trail when she had been here last.

When she finally arrived at said pond, she had to place Mr. Price's rifle and the lamp she had brought along with her far on driest part of the bank. Once her hands were free, she was able to gather up the huge, heavy clump of her skirts and hold them as high as possible from the surface of the water as she waded out to harvest. Her knickers would be uncomfortably soaked, she knew, but needs must in dire situations.

It was in that most inopportune moment that she heard the unmistakable scream of Mr. Price coming from not too far off. He sounded frightened out of his mind, but not necessarily in agony, which was both a good and bad sign; she knew now for a fact he wasn't dead, but that he very well could be in a short amount of time if she didn't hurry. She ripped a handful of the watercress carelessly from the waterbed and stuffed it, dripping, into her bag with the rest of the collected plants. She then splashed her way quickly back to the bank, gathered the rifle and the lamp, and set off quickly and silently towards the source of the noise.

* * *

"I just don't know how this could have happened…"

Tivona paced the floor of Gloria's Boutique, nervously biting her nails down to nubs.

"_I _do," Gloria answered, glaring up at her from the work she was doing on one of Tivona's gowns. "Any dumb kid who ever took a basic Biology class or watched a damn soap opera knows how this could have happened."

"But I _haven't_ slept with anyone in months!" Tivona exclaimed, throwing her hands in the air. "Haven't I mentioned that?"

Gloria seemed to have selectively ignore this, continuing on with her lecture.

"You just _had_ to screw this all up, didn't you? I'm getting the best business I ever had thanks to your obsession with dresses and your husband's endless supply of cash. And you- you're a freakin' _Queen _for crying out loud! You've can have whatever you want, whenever you want it! And what do you do? You go off and let that vampire boyfriend of yours knock you up. Did we _not_ have a good thing going here?"

Tivona clenched her teeth shut and groaned.

"How many times do I have to say it, Gloria? I _haven't had sex_ in 6 months! Septimus has yet to even bring the issue up. It's been nothing but heady sexual tension and a few open-mouthed kisses- and that's_ if_ he's feeling generous. There's literally _no way _I can be pregnant."

Gloria stopped sewing for a moment to eye her suspiciously.

"You better be tellin' me the truth, O'Dwyer."

Tivona sighed loudly and collapsed dramatically on the chaise. "Of course I am. Why would I need to lie to you?"

Seemingly satisfied with this, Gloria simply 'hmphed' and returned to her work. They were both silent a moment before the zombie woman asked tentatively,

"You absolutely sure? She may be Mother Nature and all, but I sure as hell don't trust her. Somethin' wrong about her, I don't know…"

"Aside from the rather blatant evidence of you being here to _let out _my gowns, I can tell you I already visited Dr. Finkelstein. He gave me some crap about not being a medical doctor, but I was able to get him to cooperate once I reminded him I was Queen and had the power to run him out of town. It's been scientifically confirmed; I'm definitely pregnant. Unfortunately now he's threatening to tell Jack if I don't in 48 hours."

Gloria tsked and shook her head. "Coulda told you _that_ was a mistake."

"Yeah, well, you didn't and now here we are." Tivona sighed audibly again and let her head collapse over the side of the chaise. "The only question left unanswered is how the hell this happened."

"I'd still ask that vampire boyfriend of yours. Somethin' tells me he'll have an answer for ya. In the mean time, should I start working on some empire waists? They really do flatter a pregnant Buddha belly."

"No," Tivona answered, rising sharply from her dramatic lounge and gathering her purse. "I'm _not_ keeping this thing. Septimus is going to give me some answers and then I'm going to throw myself down the stairwell so as to induce a miscarriage."

Gloria smirked. "You might as well just do that anyway. Problem solved."

Tivona wrinkled her nose. "First, answers and then, hopefully, a more graceful method of getting rid of this parasite. I want to find out who did this and punch them in teeth."

* * *

The screaming continued as Sally moved swiftly and silently through the foliage. She was quite thankful for Mr. Price's apparently vocal nature as it both directed her to him and stood as assurance that he was still alive.

She was quick to douse her lantern when she came within a close enough proximity. It'd be a few more steps before she'd be within a good viewing distance, but she could hear the shuffling of Lionel's feet as he attempted to escape, coupled with the unmistakable hiss of a starving giant spider.

"Get away!" she heard him shout direly. "Get away!"

Sally edged in closer, still striving to be as quiet and as unnoticeable as she possibly could. It wasn't long before she saw Lionel's shadowy profile, lumbering backwards and away from what was undoubtedly the spider herself. His right leg was completely incapacitated from some yet-to-be-seen injury, and he was forced to drag it out beside him like a motionless corpse. He swung some kind of blunt instrument –probably a piece of wood or branch- in the direction of the creature, though quite sloppily, as if he was intoxicated or extremely drowsy.

It wasn't long before the beast in question came into view. Really, Sally couldn't see much detail, but the outline was unmistakable- a large hairy thing with eight spindly, crab-like legs and eight beady red eyes that caught the glint of moon every now and then. The spider was very gradual in her approach, but in the same way a panther might be to a wounded or unsuspecting antelope; she clearly knew her prey was in no condition to escape, yet there was a bit of fight left in him until her venom would do its work. She was simply biding her time until the poison worked its way through his system.

Whether the spider had chosen to use the lethal or tranquilizing venom Sally could not yet say. Regardless, she knew she'd have to work quickly if she planned to save Mr. Price from both the beast and the poison.

So Sally cocked the gun and positioned herself in preparation to fire. This would be her first time even handling a rifle, but she tried to focus harder on winging it as best she could rather than the fact that she really didn't know what she was doing. The spider was moving slow enough that Sally felt confident in her abilities to hit the spot she would need to kill the thing in one strike. So, after taking a more focused aim, she pulled back the trigger and fired, causing the once peaceful forest to be shattered by the sound of the bullet being shot out of the barrel.

She unfortunately hadn't prepared herself for the recoil, and so was harshly pushed backwards on to the ground immediately after. Sally didn't have enough time to react before she heard the rapid whisper of eight spindly legs moving quickly across the grass, towards her. Apparently, she _hadn't_ shot to kill; she had simply wounded the beast and made it angry- so angry in fact, that the spider didn't mind abandoning her potential meal in favor of dealing with her tormentor.

The wretched sight of eight crimson eyes staring her down from a hairy face with huge pincers soon appeared above her. She could tell from the dire red hue of the spider's eyes that she was furious and ready to tear her limb-from-limb. Luckily, that wouldn't be a fatal action for the ragdoll, but it certainly would for Lionel. There's no way she'd be able to piece herself back together in time to save him.

Thinking quickly, Sally nudged the barrel of the rifle against the spider's soft abdomen. Because of her position, this move forced her to handle the gun at something of an angle, but it sufficiently distracted the beast long enough for Sally to fire once more, sending the bullet straight through the spider's book lung and heart. The eight red eyes swiveled in their sockets as the spider let out a final hiss. Her entire dead weight then collapsed on top Sally with a thud of finality.

She scrambled to quickly remove herself out from under the immense creature, grab the rifle and lantern, and hurry over to Lionel's frighteningly immovable form.

"Mr. Price!" she called as she approached, eventually falling to her knees beside him. "Mr. Price, can you hear me?"

While she waited for a response, Sally hastily grabbed plants from her bag and began tearing them into small pieces in preparation for usage. The crabapple she was forced to cut into bite-sized pieces using her pocket knife.

"Miss Stitches…" Lionel managed, his voice hoarse and his breath coming in short, ragged gasps. "I'm-…I'm in a rather bad way, I'm afraid…"

"Not to worry," Sally said, trying to hide her desperate urgency behind a pleasant tone of voice. "I'll have you fixed up in no time. Here, eat this."

She was soon shoving the torn up plants in his mouth, causing him to sputter and cough in surprise and attempt to spit the bits out.

"No, no, no, Mr. Price, you _must _eat this quickly. For the sake of your wife and children, you _must_ swallow these plants no matter how awful they taste. Now, where were you bitten?"

Lionel didn't have a chance to answer as he was making a concentrated effort on relocating the spat bits of plant to his mouth and obediently consuming them. Thankfully, Sally didn't need the direction after all, as the gaping wound on his right leg was impossible to miss, even in the dark. After relighting the lantern, setting it on the ground beside her for a light source, and briefly sticking the sharp end of a needle into the flame, Sally went to work on tending to the area. Lionel gasped and writhed a bit in pain, but she didn't ask him to still. His growing strength was evidence to the fact that the plants were working as they should against the venom, for which she was extremely grateful.

"I should have-ah...never…d-doubted you, Miss Stitches…" Lionel winced as Sally continued her work on the injury with the needle and a bit of thread.

"There's no need to apologize," she assured. "It was understandable."

She glanced at him briefly in order to send him a smile, but he was in no position to see it. Her sewing was obviously causing him immense pain –as she had known it unfortunately would- but he was doing a rather good job of keeping it subdued by biting his lower lip, gripping the ground tightly beside him and staring fixedly up at the patches of night sky that could be seen through the canopy of trees.

"Th-th-there's something-ah…t-terribly wrong…" Lionel's eyes began to water from the incredible agony he was trying to subdue. "I've….ah-never seen something so…f-f-frightening in my life…"

"The spiders have existed in Halloween Town for centuries, perhaps even longer," she mentioned. "I find it rather unsettling that they've suddenly and inexplicably made an appearance here."

Having finally finished the stitch, Sally tore a sizeable piece of fabric from her cotton dress and used it to create a makeshift tourniquet around Lionel's leg.

"I'll dress it better when we get back to the house," she promised, helping her employer to his feet. "Do you think you can walk, Mr. Price?"

He then smiled weakly at her for the first time in their acquaintance. "Not without your help, I'm afraid."

She nodded in understanding and propped him up against a tree trunk as soon as the two of them had brought him to his feet.

"Give me a moment to check something, Mr. Price. I'm just going to investigate near the spider's web."

He remained without complaint as Sally walked swiftly over to the aforementioned area, both her lantern and rifle more-or-less at the ready. She poked around for a moment in the surrounding grass until she regrettably found what she had been searching for. She used the barrel end of the rifle to shift the object in question, confirming her suspicions.

"Just as I thought…" she muttered.

Curious, Lionel called over to her as best he could, "What? What's the matter, Miss Stitches?"

"An egg sac," she answered gravely. "An _empty _egg sac."

* * *

It was the fevered rapping that had woken him from his beauty rest. He didn't normally have visitors during the day, given his clan was made of vampires and the other creatures of the town didn't really want anything to do with him; though this last part would not be the case for long, if all went as planned.

Normally he would have ignored the intrusion altogether, but because of the gorgeous young imbecile that was now a part of his regular existence, he had to take into consideration that this might be a call that was of interest to him. His suspicions were confirmed as soon as he opened the door.

Tivona scrambled in, closing the door swiftly behind her, lifting her protective veil, and throwing her parasol to the side.

"What have you done to me?" she demanded to know, gripping the lapels of his collar and staring at him direly like a mad woman. "Answer me, Septimus. What the _hell _have you done to me?"

He simply smirked charmingly at her and casually extracted her hands.

"You're going to have to be more specific, my darling. Just _what_ is it that I'm alleged to have done to you?"

He then led her by the small of her back into the immediate living room, snapping for light to be provided to them by the candles lining the walls.

"Right, like you don't know," she hissed, helping herself to a seat. "Like you haven't noticed me ballooning up like some kind of beached whale."

Septimus laughed as he poured them both something that gave the appearance of wine but was no doubt blood.

"Tivona, my dear, I'm afraid blaming me for your poor nutritionary habits won't help you fit any better any your gowns."

She glared daggers at him as he handed her a glass.

"I'm _pregnant _and I want to know how it could have possibly happened."

"Oh, pregnant, eh?" he said amusedly, sitting down cross-legged in the chair opposite her. "Perhaps _you_ should tell _me_ who the poor bastard father is. That is- you _do _understand how reproduction works, don't you?"

"Of course I understand how reproduction works! That's why this-" she cried, making circular motions around her stomach. "-doesn't make any sense! I haven't slept with anyone in six months, despite carrying on a supposedly hot, extra-marital affair with you."

"And you know for a fact that this is, indeed, the case and it's not just you looking for excuses to hide your overconsumption of sweets?"

"It's been confirmed by both Mother Nature and Dr. Finkelstein. I'm throwing up left and right and my breasts feel like two swollen cantaloupes. I'm gaining weight in places I didn't even know I had. What _else _could it be?"

Septimus rolled his eyes and licked his lips tiredly. "And you thought that I of all people would not only know what happened to you, but be able to somehow rid you of the fetus? Do explain how that's at all rational, won't you?"

Tivona groaned loudly and rose from her seat, proceeding to mindlessly pace around the immediate area.

"I _don't know_, Septimus! I'm hormonal and not thinking clearly. I just want to find out what caused this. Is that something you can help me with or not?"

"I don't suppose you ever gave a second thought to those witch friends of yours?" he said suggestively, idly fingering the rim of his wine glass. "Specifically, that mysterious _vial _of blood they so generously gifted you with that you drank the entirety of in one sitting without a second thought?"

She stopped pacing to stare blankly at him. He simply gazed back at her, leaning tiredly on his fist and waiting patiently for the realization.

"You don't think…they wouldn't- I mean…_why_ would they?"

He shrugged. "Oh, I don't know. I seem to recall there being some less-than-amicable feelings towards you ever since you abandoned their effort for fame. I would have thought it inevitable that they'd try to exact revenge, just not in such a terribly obvious way. Then again, it seems to have worked flawlessly with you, so perhaps I shouldn't judge their methods too harshly."

Tivona was apparently too stunned to call Septimus out on his insult. She flopped back on the sofa she had been sitting on before and fixated on the coffee table in front of her.

"…what the heck am I gonna do now?" she wondered out loud, sounding dazed.

Septimus finished his glass in one swig and allowed the beverage to dissipate completely before replying.

"It would seem most sensible to pay your witch friends a visit. Don't you agree?"

* * *

An evening walk with Zero seemed particularly fitting that day, if for no other reason than to get out of the castle and away from his work. There was no doubt Zero would appreciate it; despite his gradual recovery from the former 'slump' he'd gotten himself into, he was still not quite the ghost dog he had been a few months ago. Jack suspected it had simply been due to a lack of attention and outside stimuli, and being cooped up in the castle during the entirety of the honeymoon hadn't helped matters any.

As they made their way through the cobbled streets towards downtown, Jack was pleased to notice a familiar spring back in Zero's float, as it were. His wide mouth was open in a large grin and his transparent tongue was hanging out ever so slightly.

"Feeling better, boy?" Jack asked, gently patting the cold, silky head of his companion. Zero simply barked happily before gliding out ahead a ways to get a whiff of any interesting scents on the wind.

He couldn't help the smile that resulted from watching Zero prance along. It had been too long since he'd seen him express so much enthusiasm at one time. There was also the particular comfort he took in knowing that he still had one friend by his side, having lost most of them to his own foolishness. He reckoned he didn't deserve Zero's devotion or sympathy any more than he did Sally's or Victor's, but he was grateful that his companion had found it within himself to forgive.

Perhaps, with time, the others would come around too. Or so Jack hoped.

Zero suddenly began yipping excitedly, having apparently discovered something of interest up ahead that Jack could not yet see. He was compelled to sprint and catch up so as to find out.

"Hey, Victor!" he exclaimed, having finally come upon Zero's destination.

It was undoubtedly Victor, even if his face was currently obscured by the stack of blood bottle crates he was trying to balance. Zero had immediately flown over to greet him, unsurprisingly lacking any kind of awareness for what that might do to Victor's balance. Startled at the sudden presence of the ghost dog, as well as Jack's voice, he began to lose his footing, causing the wobbly stack of crates to begin to slide.

Luckily, Jack was at his side and with a supporting hand on the crates before anything catastrophic could take place.

"Sorry about that," he said sheepishly, working quickly to help Victor load the stack into the back of his wagon.

Victor smiled wanly at him after they were done and mumbled back almost incoherently, "Oh, not a problem…"

He then made an attempt to hoist himself up into the driver's seat and takeoff, presumably without so much as a goodbye. It was then that Jack knew, without a doubt, that Victor was still unhappy with him. His half-vampire friend had an endearing, if not somewhat frustrating habit of never showing anger- instead, he simply ignored or answered back with inaudible, mono-syllabic responses before exiting the scene quickly and by any means necessary.

So being the type to never take something lying down, Jack climbed up into the passenger seat before Victor sped off. The trick for curing Victor's passive anger was to never relent in efforts to win his forgiveness, and Jack was all-too aware of the fact.

"I know you're still put-out with me," Jack said, making Victor visibly jump. "I'd rather we talk about it, skeleton-to-vampire. Wouldn't you?"

Victor bit his lip and looked straight ahead as he urged the horses onward. Zero, meanwhile, floated out ahead of them as if he were re-enacting his role from last December.

"There's nothing really to talk about, Jack…"

"Oh, but I think there is. If there weren't anything to talk about you wouldn't be ignoring me right now!"

"I'm obviously not _ignoring _you…"

"Well, no, I suppose not, but you're still doing that _thing _you do. You know what I'm talking about."

Victor's ensuing silence seemed to indicate that he did. Jack was also quiet for a moment as he chose his next words very carefully.

"Look," he began cautiously. "I know you're not happy with me for what I did, and if it's any consolation, I'm not exactly pleased with myself either. I'm sorry that I drove Sally away and that I didn't consider your feelings in the matter, but I-"

Victor began laughing a bit cynically, causing Jack to lose his train of thought.

"Jack, it's not about- well, alright, I'd be lying if I said it wasn't due to my jealousy, at least a little bit. It's just that…I think I was a bit disappointed in you. I know I said at the reception that it was because of my feelings for Sally, but I think deep down I was actually quite disillusioned when I found out what you did. I've always seen you as someone of confidence and sincerity. It always seemed to me that no matter how much you were doubted, you'd never lose that belief in yourself to be successful. See, you get these _ideas_, Jack, that make a lot of us want to roll our eyes and encourage you to play it safe, but when you come at us with all of the reasons why you believe in them and yourself, it's hard to not agree with you. You see, Jack, you're a leader because you inspire and you inspire because you seem so sure of who you are and what you want to be and you never let anyone convince you otherwise. But when I found out that you kissed Sally…a bit of that faith that I had in you died. I learned then that even you were fallible and uncertain and…well, it was a rude awakening to say the least."

Jack nodded in understanding, sinking in on himself a little.

"I normally am quite confident with who I want to be and what I want to do…" Jack said. "Even with the whole Christmas catastrophe, I never once doubted its success. But perhaps I'm not confident so much as I am delusional and naïve?"

Victor smiled sadly. "That's a rather large amount of naïveté for someone who's two hundred years old. But I suppose what we must put into question now is your feelings towards your marriage and how they reconcile with your feelings for Sally."

Jack shook his head. He had been trying very hard to put this particular matter as far as possible from his thoughts, mostly because he was deathly afraid of what sort of truths it might reveal.

"I love Tivona," he sighed. "And I'm devoted to her. I've made a vow to never betray her or leave her side and I don't take that lightly. The only feelings I have for Sally that are of any consequence are those of my deep, friendly affection for her. But she _is _and will always be one of my best friends and…I thought I'd never have to imagine an existence without either of you, but…I just can't see how she could ever come back and help me pick up the pieces. There's too much standing in the way, I fear…"

Victor couldn't remember a time when he'd seen Jack so sad. He wished in vain that there were something he could say; some sort of comfort or consolation he could offer, but he knew the unfortunate truth just as well as Jack did.

"It's probably for the best, anyway…" Jack continued. "I could never really shake the feeling that Sally wasn't exactly content here. I'm sure wherever she is now she's happier than she ever could have been here…or so I hope, anyway."

"She's in Easter Town," Victor blurted out after some thought. "and working on an estate for a wealthy family."

The mention of this had quickly earned Jack's undivided attention, as well as rid him of his brief bout of depression.

"Easter Town? Did _she_ tell you this?"

Victor blushed and looked a bit ashamed. "Not exactly. She told Ziggy in a letter, who in-turn shared the letter with me. I would have told you sooner, but…"

Yet, there was no real reason for Victor to finish his thought, so he didn't. Jack wasn't planning to dwell on the fact that his friend had purposefully not shared this information with him the moment it came to his attention. He was far more interested in keeping the peace between them, as well as pondering the circumstances of Sally's situation.

"We should write her, Victor," Jack said decisively. "We must make an effort to get back into contact with her."

"Won't Tivona mind?" Victor felt obligated to point out. "That is…given the circumstances of Sally's departure…"

Jack straightened his spine and sat up confidently. "I'll talk with Tivona. She'll come around to it eventually. Either way, I'm not going to let myself exist indefinitely with the knowledge that I never made an effort to win Sally's friendship back. We have to try, at least."

Victor's smile at Jack became noticeably more sincere and genuine in that moment.

"Now _this _is more like the Jack I thought I knew. It's good to see him back again."

Jack returned the grin and it was in that brief exchange that both friends knew all had been forgiven. It was rather fortunate, they knew, that they were capable of reading such unspoken promises in one another's expressions, since they both were less than adept at apologizing or confrontation- Victor, because of shyness and Jack, because he always ran the risk of saying the just the thing to worsen the situation ten-fold.

As soon as Victor divulged Sally's new address, –though not without much hesitation and questioning of the morality in doing so- Jack hopped off the wagon and bid his friend adieu.

"Come on, Zero," he said, ushering him back in the direction of the castle. "We've got a letter to write."

* * *

The third time that day that Tivona found herself in someone else's home, demanding to know where her freeloading fetus came from, was later that afternoon in the living room of the Witch Sisters. The whole thing, she thought, felt uncomfortably similar to a scenario from Maury.

"I _just_ want to know where this came from," she explained, nearly sobbing from the exhaustion of having to walk all over town. "Septimus, here, seems to think that vial you gifted me with might have something to do with it."

Septimus, who had rather graciously agreed to accompany her in the daylight despite the havoc it might wreak on his complexion, crossed his arms over his chest and eyed the sisters with bored expectation. He wanted to make it clear that he was quite aware of their role in this scheme and wasn't nearly as dense as the pregnant woman before him.

The sisters exchanged a glance before breaking out into a cacophony of cackles, each one more sinister than the last.

"Took you long enough!" Zelda shrieked, continuing to roll around in a fit of mirth.

Tivona balled her hands into tight fists. "Wha- how-…why would you do this to me? I don't understand…"

Septimus rolled his eyes at the amount of betrayal evident in her voice. Was it general naïveté that made her like this, or had she simply been spoiled from the amount of entitlement this world allowed her? He figured he'd find out soon enough.

"It's called _revenge_, my dear," Helga said, having recovered slightly. "As well as a rather clever effort on our part to get you kicked out of here without having to accept any blame for your arrival in the first place. How do you plan on explaining that _thing_ to your skeleton husband without him suspecting foul play? Never mind, of course, that the child will be his in any case. That's just the cherry on top for us."

Tivona's eyes went so wide they were likely to fall out of her skull. She glanced back at Septimus, horrorstruck, obviously hoping he'd have some kind of answer or explanation to the whole charade.

Luckily, he chose to comply.

"And, how, _exactly _does that work?" he asked, an aura of sarcasm to his tone that made the sisters uneasy. "Oh, no matter, I can simply consult the spell itself."

He then withdrew from his inner breast pocket a piece of wrinkled parchment paper that looked as though it had been recently torn from a book. The sight of it made the Witch Sisters freeze in what looked to be terror.

Septimus then held the paper out before him with much flourish and began inspecting the ingredients, occasionally mentioning them aloud for effect.

"Now, now, it's _this _bit in particular that has me especially intrigued. '_The final bit is two halves of a whole with which will be made one single soul'_…and then it goes on to call for a piece of _him _and piece of _her_…"

Tivona suddenly gasped and clapped a hand over her mouth.

"The rib…" she announced. "Jack's been missing a rib since the wedding reception. He first noticed it was gone on the honeymoon!"

"And I'm guessing that this crudely scribbled note about a lock of hair next to the 'piece of her' bit refers to you both using Tivona's mortal hair as her piece," Septimus added. "_Fascinating _stuff, this. I'm sure King Jack will agree, don't you, sisters?"

Helga and Zelda exchanged looks once more before suddenly diving over the coffee table for the recipe that they intended to rip out of Septimus' gloved hand. He seemed to have been expecting this and instead smacked them both with his cane, sending them flying backward into their couch.

"What do you want from us?" Helga demanded with a huff after scrambling to her feet. "And don't even think about asking us to get rid of it, because that fetus has an invincibility charm protecting it from any kind of cockamamie schemes Tivona might try to miscarry it. As far as we're concerned, she deserves the side-effects of pregnancy and whatever mutant is going to drop out of her in 9 months! We're just an innocent pair of hardworking Witches trying to make a damn living! Is that too much to ask for?"

As Helga continued to squawk about, Septimus bemusedly re-pocketed the piece of parchment and sat down in the armchair across from them.

"I don't disagree with you, Helgamine. Tivona has been nothing but selfish to you and your sister."

Tivona huffed loudly and gaped at Septimus in disbelief. He ignored this completely.

"You must understand that I'm not interested in outing your scheme of sabotage to the King- not in the least. What I _am _interested in, however, is your loyalty."

Helga cocked an eyebrow. "Loyalty? To _what_?"

Septimus smirked out of the corner of his mouth. "This…revenge plot of yours was brought about because Tivona was not complying to help you in your effort for fame. Do I understand that right?"

The sisters simply nodded, continuing to listen intently.

"But you must ask yourselves…why ever would you need a lovely, young, -albeit talentless- girl to help you in this effort? There's only one answer to this, of course; _Jack Skellington_. Without your dear "cousin" Tivona Jack would have never agreed to let you perform anywhere in the first place. And again…why? Because King Jack Skellington is an ignorant, impulsive, self-centered thrill seeker who cares nothing for the interests of his followers. He has always been like this and the town has suffered because of it, yet you are all willing to overlook it because of his boyish charm and charisma."

Helga and Zelda were left with no rebuttal. Something about what he said rang eerily true.

"I, on the other hand, wish to offer Halloween Town an alternative. You see, dear ladies, unlike Jack, I am willing to cut fair deals. For example? You two play along with the idea that this whole pregnancy debacle was a conspired wedding present to Jack between you and Tivona. In turn, I won't be able to reveal the true nature of your intentions and we all will be that much closer to the day when Jack is overthrown and I will ascend to his position. When that day arrives, you can consider The Bones Brothers as good as canned and Toil and Trouble will be the only Halloween musicians worth listening to. Now as far as propositions go, how does that sound?"

"You mean it?" Helga gasped disbelievingly. "You'd be willing to do that for our band?"

"If you are both willing to join my following in the coup," Septimus replied. "And it really is a win-win situation for you both. Tivona is still stuck with a mutant child and you both get the fame you desire."

"Hey, I don't think either of us were even considering saying 'no'!" Zelda chimed in excitedly. "I think it's time for a change at the top anyway, don't you agree, sister?"

Helga displayed her signature wicked grin for a brief interval before turning back to Septimus with as much professional stoicism as she could muster.

"It doesn't seem like we have much of a choice in the matter, but given Jack's inability to rule lately, I'd say even an upturned broom with a bucket for a head would do a significantly better job."

Septimus nodded and rose from his seat, brushing miniscule specks of dust from his immaculate waistcoat.

"Dreadfully wonderful of you to join. We have meetings every Thursday evening in the abandoned hinterlands shack. The others have been slacking on the refreshments, lately, so if you both would be so kind as to see to that this week. It's customary of the newest members, you see."

Neither Helga nor Zelda seemed very pleased with this, but since they were in no place to argue, they obediently kept their arguments to themselves.

Once they had gotten back outside to the danger of the exposed UV rays, Tivona rounded on Septimus. Her expression was impossible to see from beneath her protective veil, but he had no problem fabricating it in his mind.

"So…what, I just have to give birth to this thing now?" she snapped. Septimus chuckled.

"It will be a relatively small price to pay for the rewards that will follow. When I take over and you annul your marriage to Jack, he and whatever freak of nature you end up birthing will be ordered out of the kingdom immediately. In the mean time, satiate him with this gift from your womb. He will be given the illusion, for a time, of having a family and that should be enough to keep his suspicions at bay."

Tivona snorted in disgust. "This is bullshit. I married a skeleton specifically so this sort of thing _wouldn't _happen. I'm too young to be someone's damn mother…"

Septimus rolled his eyes for what was probably the tenth time that day. Such was the nature of being in the company of his mistress, he supposed.

"In the future, my dear," he sighed. "It is probably in your best interest to not drink from suspicious vials of unknown origin and substance. Unless, of course, they can somehow give you a leg up in overthrowing a monarchy."


	21. Chapter 19 Unpleasant Truths

_Chapter 19- Unpleasant Truths_

**A/N- **Sorry for the long wait, gang. This chapter proved to be one of the most difficult to write so far, mostly because I was attempting to do it amidst finals. There's also the fact that I just kept getting _stuck _but, whatever, it's here now! This is more of an exposition-through-dialogue chapter (sort of gossipy, I suppose) but I think you'll discover some things along the way and see some interesting character development. So, yeah, that's all I have to say about that!

**Disclaimer- **Burton's et al.

* * *

Truthfully, Seraphina was a bit concerned.

She had arrived at work that morning to find Jack wide-awake and frantically typing at –no, _attacking_ was the more accurate verb- his typewriter. The growing piles of crumpled up paper balls seemed to signify that his current project was of the utmost importance to him and that one single mistake could throw the whole effort into complete disarray. Or so she supposed.

Jack usually took tea in the morning, so Seraphina decided to abide by the schedule as usual and offer it to him.

"No, no, not this morning," Jack mumbled, waving his hand at her dismissively. "I'll just neglect it completely and it'll get cold before I even have time to touch it. Don't waste your time, Miss Belvoir, there are plenty of other things that need to get done today."

Seraphina supposed it wasn't really any of her business or place to ask, but curiosity had always been her weakness.

"Does all of this have something to do with that?" she asked meekly, gesturing at the mess on his desk. She regretted having asked almost immediately after doing so, but it was mostly because she didn't know Jack very well and wasn't sure how he'd respond to it.

Instead of getting angry or defensive or telling her to get the hell out of his office and stop asking intrusive questions, Jack sighed deeply and leaned far back in his chair.

"Unfortunately not, yet I've allowed myself to lose an entire night's sleep over it."

Seraphina gasped. "You _never _went to bed?"

Jack simply shook his head and massaged his temples, seeming to have just realized the full-weight of his fatigue.

"With all due respect, your majesty, what is _so _important to have lost a whole night's sleep over?"

Seraphina couldn't deny that his lack of apparent disdain was making her increasingly confident in her ability to get away with being meddlesome.

But once again, Jack displayed no indication that he found her behavior too forward. Instead, he returned to an upright, seated position and eyed the current paper in the typewriter pensively.

"I'm writing a letter to a friend," he explained. "But it's not just any friend… you see, this person and I…we have something of tumultuous history and I'm kind of hoping a letter will begin the process of forgiveness. The problem is, I just can't seem to churn out something that seems effective enough."

Once more throwing tact to the wind, Seraphina invited herself to walk behind Jack's desk and get a good look at the letter.

"Ooohhh, it's to Sally," she observed aloud, mostly to herself. It still earned her an inquisitive look from her employer, and she suddenly remembered she wasn't supposed to know as much as she did about the situation. "I've just…talked to Victor about it some, that's all."

"Perhaps you can help me then," Jack said, grabbing a nearby chair and pulling it up alongside them. This, of course, fully surprised Seraphina, who was starting to think she was slipping into hot water. "Maybe your feminine insight and knowledge of the situation can inspire me to write a worthy letter to her. Would you mind?"

Seraphina shook her head. "Not at all."

And so the two of them sat, staring fixedly at the typewriter, as Jack continued his furious typing, stopping only occasionally to get some feedback from her. Eventually, the letter began to dwindle into what was almost purely Seraphina's wording and she would have stopped them to make it more personal to Jack if she didn't think doing so would make him unsatisfied and want to crumple up this version as well. She wanted Jack to produce something worthy of postage in his eyes, but she was also hoping to get this done with quickly so she could usher him off to get some sleep. She was certain his wife would appreciate her doing so, in any case.

Ironically enough, it was in that moment that Tivona sauntered into the room. She initially looked moderately at ease, but when she caught sight of Seraphina sitting as close to Jack as she was, her face began to twist into a scowl. Seraphina jumped, scooting herself farther away and making an all around benign situation look unduly suspicious.

"Am I interrupting something?" she asked bitter sweetly. Surprisingly, Jack didn't even look up from his work.

"No, no, not at all, dear. Seraphina and I were just working on writing a letter."

"A letter?" she repeated, cocking an eyebrow. She then sauntered over to the desk and casually yanked the letter out from the paper table as if it meant nothing. Jack and Seraphina simply sat there in awe, too stunned to react accordingly.

One glance at the paper was all it took for Tivona's face to contort into a furious scowl.

"So, you and Sally are pen pals now, hmm? When were you planning to share this bit of information with me, Jack?"

Jack quite literally face-palmed at that exact moment, and his subsequent groan seemed to suggest that he had forgotten a very crucial first step in beginning correspondence with his old friend.

"Darling, you have to believe me when I say that I had every intention of talking this over with you-"

"Really? Then why didn't you?"

"I was simply being forgetful. I'm sorry, I am, but please understand that I'm writing to Sally with only the most platonic of intentions!"

Had Seraphina not been the overly-curious, socially-unaware person that she was, she might have taken the opportunity to slip out of the room and allow the couple some quarreling privacy. Instead, she remained where she was, wide-eyed and fixated, as though watching an intense scene from a soap-opera.

"You're not writing to her at all," Tivona corrected him sternly, proceeding to rip the paper in half, then quarters, then eighths. When she finished, she tossed the bits of letter-confetti onto the floor and desk for dramatic effect. "Not as long as you're married to me."

Seraphina's mouth fell open and Jack simply stared at the mess in stunned disbelief before glancing back at up his wife.

"I do hope you get your act together sooner rather than later, Jack," she continued. "Because like it or not, you're going to be a father in nine months and I refuse to raise this poor child with an ignoramus."

Jack's eye sockets went wide and Seraphina fell out of her chair.

"Wait…wh-wh-what…what d-d-did you say?" he stammered, his limbs quivering.

"You heard me. It was meant to be a wedding present to you from me and the Witch Sisters, and I was just coming in to surprise you with the news…but what do I find? You and your _female _secretary giggling over a love letter to your old girlfriend."

"It wasn't a love letter," Seraphina interjected. "I can attest to that."

Tivona glared daggers at her.

"Don't you have papers to file or something?"

"Well, no, not exactly. See, I finished my filing yesterday and-"

"Get out." Tivona ordered, pointing towards the open door to the office.

Seraphina simply nodded in concession before standing up to leave, knowing full-well that throwing one of the paperweights on Jack's desk at the Halloween Queen instead would probably get her fired.

Before exiting the room completely, however, Seraphina saw Jack collapse, dumbfounded, into his chair. As soon as she had made it into the outside hallway, Tivona bid him adieu with a simple, "Grow up, Jack", before following Seraphina's former path towards the exit and shutting the large doors to the office behind her with a reverberating slam.

* * *

Most things had gotten exceptionally easier since the night Sally saved Mr. Price, but there was still the ever present feeling that the worst was yet to come.

Nevertheless, she didn't mind that his new-found trust in her compelled him to insure her position as governess to his children. Better yet, Alistair had discontinued the pranks entirely. He still didn't show any indication of particularly liking her, but the look of admiration on his face when he asked her, "Did you really save my dad from the spider?" and received a, "Why, yes, I did" in reply was unmistakable. Perhaps there was hope for the two of them after all, she would think.

But the issue of the giant spiders' presence remained, and for the first time in their lives, Augusta and Lionel were forced to restrict their children to playing only in the immediate view of an adult. This wasn't too terribly difficult for Sally to maintain, as Lotte was constantly by her side as it was and Alistair knew enough from personal experience to not risk being snatched up again. But for Lionel and Augusta, this was a rather awkward precaution and they often found themselves looking to Sally for guidance on keeping their children safe.

All things considered, the sooner these spiders were gone, the better, even if Sally was a bit more concerned with how they got there in the first place.

"I think it might be best if we take matters into our own hands," Lionel suggested one morning over tea. It had become something of a ritual for Sally to join the couple for breakfast on the porch while the children frolicked in the vicinity. It was an admittedly welcome breath of fresh air before diving into the busyness of the typical day.

"Do you mean…we should exterminate the spiders on our own?" Sally asked, a bit wary. She noticed Augusta was also eying Lionel with a sense of dreading doubt.

"Well, why not? I don't think going to the government heads will do much good- in case it hasn't become unwaveringly apparent to you, Miss Stitches, the most we've ever had to worry about in this town is overpopulation, given we are a holiday of fertility and what-not. Point being, no one here besides you has any clue how to handle these beasts."

Augusta raised an eyebrow and asked slyly over her crocheting, "I do hope you're not volunteering Miss Sally to fix this problem for us."

"Certainly not!" Lionel exclaimed. "That is, not without volunteering myself as well. I _do_ hunt every now and then and I can most certainly handle a rifle. Perhaps, Miss Stitches, if you educate me on how to better kill these things, I could teach you how to better use a gun. Together, we could take out all the blighters. What do you think?"

"I think," Sally smirked. "That you need to be more concerned about resting your leg, Mr. Price. Your limp has only marginally improved and we won't be very successful in our hunting endeavors if you're just hobbling along. The spiders are much quicker than that."

Augusta giggled at the mental imagery.

"But there's also an issue of time to be considered here," she continued. "Spiders –of any size- multiply quickly and in mass quantities. For this reason, it would be us two against hundreds. As admirable as I think the idea is, I just don't see it being a viable option."

"Besides," Augusta chimed in. "I don't like the idea of you wandering out there in the dark, trying to take out something that's twice your size, no matter how expertly Sally educates you on these things."

Surprisingly, the jaded fear of a middle-aged woman was already beginning to bloom in Augusta's tone. Sally didn't know whether to feel encouraged or disappointed by this, but she could at least take comfort in knowing that this sort of attitude lead to increased precautionary wisdom, of which they'd all need a lot.

"Well, I don't very well like the alternative!" Lionel exclaimed. "The only other person I can think of that would have any inkling on how to take care of these things is that _Belvoir _fellow, and I'd be quite pleased to never see or hear of him again."

Augusta realized Lionel's error long before he did, clapping her hand over mouth to stifle a gasp. It'd unfortunately didn't escape Sally's notice.

"Wait…Lord Belvoir, the leader of the Atrox clan in Halloween Town? How do you know him?"

She wasn't sure why this was the conclusion that she immediately jumped to. Certainly there could have been more than one Lord Belvoir, couldn't there? Nevertheless, Lionel and Augusta's shocked expressions seemed to suggest that her assumption was correct.

"Sally…" Augusta began calmly, continuing to glance at her husband. "Lionel and I…that is- some time ago, we were involved in a certain cause based out of your hometown…"

Lionel nodded grudgingly. "Yes…and, to be quite frank, this is all rather embarrassing, but…we were involved in a movement to end assimilation."

Sally could only grimace at the both of them in confusion. This was the first she had heard about it.

"I…suppose this was something of an…_underground_ cause?"

The both of them nodded, staring down at the porch shamefully.

"It's not something we're behind anymore," Lionel assured, voice lowering almost to a whisper. "Though we haven't exactly declared this to Lord Belvoir, yet- the leader of the whole thing."

Sally simply nodded, beginning to realize that this was perhaps a topic better left for later, within closed doors at the very least. To quell the tension, she rose and began to gather the breakfast dishes.

"You should be off to work soon, Mr. Price," she pointed out. "And I do believe you have some appointments of your own, Mrs. Price."

Augusta jumped with the realization of how late it was getting to be and quickly scrambled over to her husband to help him to his feet.

"You're absolutely right, Sally. How could we let the time get away from us like that?"

As Augusta helped Lionel achieve a good balance with his cane, he and Sally exchanged knowing, grave looks as if to promise one another to speak more about the issue later on. Even so, she expected it was not something either of them would soon forget.

* * *

After parking his cart just outside the castle gates, Victor was quickly granted admittance inside and escorted to the main lobby.

As strange as it was for both him and undoubtedly the reader, Victor was _not_ here to visit Jack. That's not to imply that he didn't plan on saying hello while he was inside his place of residence, however. He typically made a point of popping by Jack's office for a quick chat before returning to his delivery route, but that was _after_ he'd had lunch with Seraphina.

He knew exactly when these daily lunches had started; Seraphina had asked him kindly one day if he wouldn't mind picking something up for her since she regrettably left her own lunch back at her flat on accident. Victor, being the polite gentleman that he was and having decided not too long ago that Seraphina was, perhaps, _not _as annoying as he previously believed, agreed to help her out. She had asked him to stay and eat with her that particular afternoon because she apparently couldn't stand eating alone, and once again, Victor obliged her.

At some point, the pretenses of 'forgetting lunches' and 'needing company while eating' were selectively forgotten by the both of them, and what was once a favor became a daily ritual that Victor looked forward to. Seraphina may have been a tad bit unstable, but as time passed, he found that he wasn't perturbed by it so much as he was intrigued. She said some of the oddest things, but on the whole, she was a reasonably intelligent person.

All things considered, it was significantly better than spending his lunch hour alone, perched on his cart with either a book to read or resident crows to stare at or maybe talk rhetorically to.

This particular afternoon had seemed to be no different than the others. Seraphina greeted him with a squeal when he walked in –Victor, not sure if she was reacting to his presence or the blood bisque he'd bought her from the deli- and the two of them sat at her desk to eat and talk about the minutia of the day.

"You won't even believe what happened here today," Seraphina gushed, gesturing with her spoon. "It'll knock the fangs right out of your head."

"Well, go on then," Victor urged. "Don't tease me with it."

Looking a bit devious, Seraphina leaned across the desk surface and began the recap in a rather loud whisper, probably negating any of the subtlety she was attempting to create.

"Alright, get this…so, I came in this morning to find Jack hard at work at his typewriter, which is pretty weird, right?"

Victor nodded. "I'll say. I've never even heard of him getting out of bed before 9 am."

"_Exactly_. So I asked him what the deal was, and it turned out he'd been writing a letter to Sally all night and chugging espresso to keep himself awake. He literally never went to bed. Now is that crazy or what?"

Victor stirred, trying not to make his discomfort with this revelation too blatantly apparent. "Mmm…yes, quite insane …"

"Yeah, I know! So anyway, I decide to help him out so maybe he can finish the letter soon and get to bed. I figure it's part of my responsibility as his personal assistant to see that he gets his rest. So we work on it for awhile and then…guess who walks in?"

He was admittedly a bit more interested in the nature of the letter itself, but decided to feign interest in this last development for courtesy's sake.

"Uhm…oh, I couldn't say…Tivona, perhaps?"

"Yes!" Seraphina exclaimed, apparently impressed with Victor's deductive skills. "So she walks in giving me the stink eye -like she usually does only a bit worse this time around- and yanks the letter out of the typewriter faster than I could blink. As you might imagine, she doesn't react well to Jack writing letters to the girl he kissed behind her back."

Victor's mouth dropped in horrified disbelief. "You mean to tell me he didn't discuss this with her beforehand? After he specifically told me he was going to?"

"Apparently, he'd forgotten. Frankly, I believe him and I think you should too. I've only known King Jack a few weeks, but he's never struck me as the 'remembering' type."

He simply nodded, allowing some of his immediate frustration to subside. In all likelihood, Jack _had_ forgotten as opposed to purposefully not told Tivona.

"But that's not the worst of it," Seraphina continued. "So after she yells at him for a bit, she says the _craziest_ thing. I literally fell out of my chair when I heard it, and I was just _sitting _there!"

"What?" Victor encouraged, getting a bit impatient. "What did she say?"

Seraphina then somehow managed to lean even farther over the surface of the desk and grin wickedly. He could tell that whatever she was about to spill was going to be mind-blowing, and he wondered if he was even in the right frame of mind to hear it.

Ready or not, here it came.

"She told him she was _pregnant_…with his _his _baby."

For Victor, hearing this was sort of like getting a limb cut off and not being able to feel the pain right away due to overwhelming shock.

"I-I…I'm sorry…_his _child? As in…Jack…the _skeleton's _child?"

She nodded. "All thanks to some potion made by her and The Witch Sisters. Apparently it was going to be some surprise wedding present, though I think the initial mood Tivona had been hoping for was lessened by the whole letter thing…"

He sat, still and numb for only a few seconds more as he attempted to process the information as best he could.

"I…I think I had better go talk to him," he said after a time, still not having achieved a good grasp on the situation. "Would you mind?"

Seraphina shook her head and quickly capped her bisque. "I'll come with you!"

Were Victor in a clearer state of mind, he might have asked her to stay behind and let him go at it alone. Thankfully, the presence of a third party wouldn't keep Jack from being completely candid about the situation, so the both of them walked purposefully down the long, dark castle corridor to the doors of Jack's study.

After having let themselves in, they quickly came to realize that Jack was sprawled sound asleep in his desk chair, snoring quite loudly.

"Thank goodness he finally got some rest!" Seraphina whispered. Victor said nothing and instead approached his sleeping friend.

"Jack," he said firmly, gently shaking the arms of the desk chair. "Jack, wake up, it's Victor."

While Victor struggled futilely to rouse him, Seraphina located a forgotten, slightly dusty wineglass on a nearby bookshelf. She then tossed the glass violently against the very far, opposite wall and it exploded into a million pieces with a startling smash. This was enough to get Jack's attention, as he immediately came to.

"Wh-wha-…I didn't fall asleep…" he promised to no one in particular as tried to quickly get a bearing on where he was.

"Jack, it's Victor-"

"And Seraphina!"

"Yes, and Seraphina. I've heard you've just received some startling news…"

Jack blinked slightly and looked a bit confused before the pieces fell into place.

"Oh! Oh, yes, that!" he exclaimed. "Yes, I had strangest dream. You wouldn't believe it, Victor…"

Victor raised an eyebrow, knowingly. "It wouldn't happen to have been a dream about Tivona coming into your study and telling you that fatherhood was imminent…would it?"

Jack looked awe-struck. "It was, as a matter of fact! However did you guess? I must say, I've never had someone accurately guess my dreams before…"

"That's because it wasn't a dream, Jack," Victor sighed. "Seraphina already told me everything."

The sense of relief slowly drained from Jack's face and was quickly replaced by the same shock and terror from before.

"You mean it-…everything, it's all…_real_? I didn't dream it?"

"Apparently not."

The skeleton King quickly rose and began pacing rather frantically across the marble floor.

"I just don't understand…how could this have happened? I just- what- where…when…who?"

"From what I understand, Tivona and the Witch Sisters-"

"No- yes- I know," Jack interrupted, briefly touching Victor's shoulder in an attempt to silence him. "I know all of that. I just…I can't seem to process that this is…_real_…I keep thinking this will turn out to be one of those dreams within a dream and I'll wake up at any moment-"

"Jack," Victor interjected. "I think it might be wise for you to take some time to collect your thoughts. Why don't you take another one of your strolls with Zero and then come back and have a chat with Tivona about this? Hmm?"

Jack, looking no less bewildered or terrified, simply nodded.

"Y-yes…I suppose that would be wise…"

His eyes then floated dejectedly downward towards the typewriter.

"Seraphina and I will write something to her," Victor assured, softly. "It will be from all three of us."

Jack smiled at the both of them sadly, before exiting the office to seek out Zero. Seraphina and Victor stood in something of a stunned, solemn silence for a few beats before Seraphina broke the tension by grabbing a nearby trashcan.

"Well, I guess these dejected 'letter balls' aren't going to clean themselves up!" she sighed, immediately setting to work. Victor allowed himself to grin privately at her before settling himself in Jack's office chair and behind the typewriter to begin his work.

* * *

Sally was a bit horrified to open the door of her cottage that evening and find Mr. Price hanging haphazardly on his cane.

"Sir, tell me you didn't walk all this way…"

He laughed, trying in vain to hide his discomfort. "I believe 'hobbled' is the more correct term for what I did."

She quickly ushered him inside and into the cushioned support of a chair, which he sank into with a strained sigh of relief.

"Daddy!" Lotte's voice squealed. She soon appeared from the kitchen, covered in flour-handprints, and quickly bolted to her father's lap.

"Bothering Miss Stitches again, are we?" he teased, hoisting her onto his knee.

"We were just in the middle of making cookies, weren't we, Lotte?"

Lotte nodded, then turned to her father and exclaimed delightedly, "I made a ginger man _and _a tree!"

"Oh…? How nice…" Lionel said, clearly trying to hide his confusion. Sally just smiled sheepishly as she took a seat across from them.

"Lotte wanted to learn about Christmas," she explained. "I hope you don't mind that I shared some of the customs with her. It _is _almost December, after all, and she just had some questions."

Lionel knew that had this happened less than a month ago, he would have been furious. But having Sally around had proven to be a great educator and he'd be damned if he were going to hold on to his ignorant misconceptions from before.

"No, I don't mind at all. I'm beginning to think it might be rather pivotal for the children to learn about the other holidays. As a matter of fact, it might not be a bad idea for me to do the same."

Sally smiled warmly at him, pleased with the fact that Lionel felt comfortable enough to say so.

But it was then that his brows furrowed in a rather grave fashion, and he lifted Lotte off of his lap before instructing her to go start cleaning up the mess in the kitchen.

"I actually came here tonight to explain the issue from this morning a bit more in-depth," he explained, as soon as his young daughter was out of ear-shot. "I fear we may have left things on an uncomfortable note."

"Not at all," Sally lied, as she had been mulling over the mention of Lord Belvoir's involvement with the 'anti-assimilation' movement all day. She wanted –and needed- to know more, as something about it did not bode well with her, however common opposing groups were in holiday politics. "I'm just a bit curious, is all."

"And understandably so. You see, my wife and I joined the anti-assimilation movement some time ago because we were concerned about our holiday losing its individuality. We didn't feel it was wise, involving one with another. Lord Belvoir had –and still has- a steady growing following of individuals from various worlds who feel the same way we did. We joined as the Easter Town representatives, thinking it might be a good way to combat the movement we opposed. But the moment I met him, Lord Belvoir, that is, I began to regret the whole thing immediately, and only more so after becoming more acquainted with you and beginning to realize that associating with other holiday words might be both a wise and prudent thing. But Lord Belvoir himself…well, I have no doubt in my mind that he's evil. I knew from the first look that no good would ever come from this man…vampire, whatever he is…no matter how charming or gifted with words he might be. Furthermore, I'm concerned that I may have inadvertently doomed my family to a terrible fate at his hands. Apart from you, he is the only being I know of that could rid us of these spider things, but for obvious reasons I wish to avoid this like death."

"Mr. Price, I understand your concern," she sighed. "But you and I stand no chance of ridding the town of these things on our own, especially with your handicap."

"But there must be _something_, _anything _we can do. Please try to understand how unwise it would be to resort to the alternative. Perhaps if we had more people involved with the hunt? Some individuals from your town, perhaps?"

Sally chewed her bottom lip nervously. "I don't know if that would be a good idea…"

Lionel rose and stood precariously with a lingering exhale.

"Please consider it, Miss Stitches. We're between a rock and hard place, as they say, and sooner or later we will have to make a difficult decision- if not for our sake, then for the safety of Lotte, and Alistair, and all of the Easter Town children."

She eventually nodded, knowing this to be painfully true.

"Oh, and before I forget," he added, reaching into his coat pocket. "This came for you today. From some of your Halloween Town friends, I expect."

He handed her the rather dog-eared letter and she eyed it in shock for a good while before finally willing herself to thank him. Lionel simply nodded and then bid Lotte –who was still covered in flour and had probably made no progress in the kitchen whatsoever- to accompany him back to the main house.

When she was alone, Sally tentatively opened the envelope and slowly read the contents of the letter within.

_Sally,_

_We hope all is well with you in Easter Town, and that you don't mind that we've gone out of our way to locate you; friends tend to do that sometimes when one disappears sporadically one night and never confirms their location or the fact that they're safe. Please don't think we're trying to guilt or shame you in saying this, but understand that we have been fretting and thinking a lot about you and wondering if and when you'd contact one of us besides Ziggy. _

_Things are fine here in Halloween Town, though you were sorely missed at the wedding. However, many of us understand your reasoning for doing what you did the night before and, rest assured, it is not something we intend to hold against you. Just so you know, Jack and Tivona have been officially married for about a month now and enjoyed a pleasant honeymoon in the Mistletoe Mountains. Seraphina Belvoir wishes to add that she's been recently employed in your former position and she and her mother have taken up residence with Ziggy in your old flat and she hopes that you don't mind this either. She wants to let you know that if you ever wish to return and claim your old life back, she will gladly step aside._

_As for me –Victor-, nothing has really changed. I think you'll find that out of the three of us writing this, my life has been by far the most boring. For this reason, I'll stop talking about that and get to the heart of what we'd like to say in this letter. To be frank, we'd like to see you again sometime. You are welcome to visit here anytime (or return, but no pressure there) but we'd also love to see how you're being treated in your new town of residence, if we may be so bold to say so. _

_Please do let us know how you're doing and if you'd fancy a visit anytime soon. Just to reiterate, you are sorely missed and we'd really ask for nothing more than to hear from you again. _

_All our love,_

_Victor, Seraphina (your new friend! xoxo), and Jack_

Sally clutched the letter a bit tighter as she read the last name listed.

* * *

Tivona missed seeing Jack walk in, as her nose was currently buried in her latest fashion magazine of choice. She sighed regretfully as she eyed the various gowns, knowing full-well she wouldn't be able to fit into any of them for at least nine months- perhaps longer if she couldn't lose the baby weight quickly.

Her inability to see him, coupled with her preoccupation with the clothes, caused her to jump nearly three feet into the air when his bony hand touched hers.

"Geez, Jack, can't you _warn _me you're even in the room before doing something like that?"

His already somber expression grew even more so.

"I _am _sorry, but you can't forget I'm the King of Halloween. It's in my nature to scare."

She sighed exasperatedly and put her magazine to the side. "Alright, what is it? What's got you so depressed?"

"You…didn't forget our interaction earlier, did you?" he asked, slightly incredulous.

Truthfully, she had, but remembering that it was her prerogative to keep Jack wrapped around her finger, she quickly recalled her anger from before.

"You'd like for me to, wouldn't you? Then you could write Sally all the love sonnets you wanted. Well, forget it, Jack, it's not going to happen."

"Can we talk about something else, first?" His sudden change from meek and remorseful to decisive and curious caught her a bit off guard. She hadn't exactly expected him to take the reins so unperturbed like that. "I want to discuss the news you gave me earlier."

She didn't need his eye sockets wandering down in the direction of her uterus to know what he was talking about. Even so, she still wrapped her arms around her midsection self-consciously.

"Yes…that. Well, it's true, and I did it for _you_, so if you think I'm going to tolerate your ingratitude-"

He cut her off by taking one of her hands in his and cradling it close to his chest.

"No, of course not," he said softly, a smile beginning to form. "I…I feel quite the opposite, actually. I-I…I'm a bit in shock, but also elated and I just…I don't quite know how to express myself…"

Tivona was in quite the shock of her own. She'd never seen Jack look so genuinely touched and it both intimidated and disturbed her.

"You see, I never thought I'd have children of my own. I mean, not only am I a skeleton, but I've been single my entire afterlife. It's just something I had long ago resigned myself to never having, so…I just haven't had time to really think about it, but now that it's a reality I fully realize how much I've truly wanted this."

He then placed a hand on her stomach and it made her flinch slightly, but he seemed to take no notice of this.

"Tivona, this will be the _best _gift anyone has ever given me. I can't tell you how grateful I am for you- to have you as part of my existence."

She stilled and was suddenly unable to make eye-contact with the skeleton sitting beside her on the chaise. No one had ever told her they were _grateful _for her, especially not in such a sincere tone of voice. This wasn't something Jack was saying for leverage, he was saying it because he _meant _it and that fact scared her most of all. She wasn't used to nor even familiar with such treatment.

And then her stomach started to drop and she began feeling slightly nauseated but she somehow knew it wasn't due to the pregnancy. The feeling was too unfamiliar to be any kind of garden-variety sickness, either. For the time being, she simply couldn't place it.

"I'll be the best father I can," he murmured against the back of her hand. "And from now on, it's just going to be about us and our child, alright? Nothing is going to take precedence over that. Sally _is _my best friend and I miss her…but if you feel like me speaking to her, even through letters, is in any way a threat to what we have then I won't do it. I'm sorry I didn't say this earlier, but I love you and I've pledged myself to _you _and only you. I promise now that I will do anything to protect the sanctity of our family."

Tivona could still not bring herself to look at her husband. Never before had she felt so deprived of the self-confidence that usually allowed her the upper-hand. Then again, never before had anyone been so honest and candid with her.

"Well…I appreciate that…" she finally managed, trying -and failing miserably- to sound firm and in control despite the fact that she was sheepishly staring and pulling at an errant thread on the chaise.

Jack smiled, patted her hand, and placed it gently back in her lap.

"I'll leave you. Sorry for the intrusion."

He then planted one of his cold, hollow kisses on her forehead before rising and heading towards the hallway.

She chewed on her bottom lip, feeling the compulsion to do something completely rash and out of character and finding it almost impossible to stifle.

"Jack, wait-" she called out, unable to stop herself in time. He turned in the doorway expectantly.

"I…I was thinking…maybe…maybe there wouldn't be anything wrong with you…with you talking to Sally…"

She couldn't believe she'd said as soon as the words escaped from her mouth. But Jack noticeably brightened at this and the sight of him doing so made her feel oddly satisfied…_pleased, _even.

This was weird.

"Do you mean it, darling?" he asked, eagerly.

"Uhm…yes…I do."

_Yes, she did_. And it was so strange, so very odd. It would be the first time she had ever felt compelled towards generosity to another person and she refused to let herself wonder how this might have been connected to Jack's sincerity and how it had affected her personally.

She _could, _however, justify it –albeit flimsily- to herself. They were married now, after all, so what threat could Sally truly pose? And, of course, there was Jack's promise that was still hanging pendulously over her head. He seemed pretty serious about keeping things together, so maybe she could cut him slack this once.

She was sure there were even more logical arguments she could drum up in her favor, but she decided instead to just let the whole issue go. True, Septimus would have probably been furious had he found out, but there was nothing requiring she tell him; what he didn't know could hurt him- or her, she supposed.

"Thank you," he said simply, with yet another warm grin sent her way. He lingered for a moment before finally leaving her alone in the parlor.

Tivona didn't return to her magazine immediately, as the flood of 'what the hell was that' and 'what's wrong with me' had her a bit preoccupied.

She spent the next ten minutes stamping those thoughts down, refusing to examine her recent actions too intricately.


	22. Chapter 20 A Visit to Easter Town

**Chapter 20- A Visit to Easter Town**

**A/N- **This is a regrettably short chapter, but I felt that _something _was due since I haven't updated in so long. My apologies for the very long wait, by the by, but this has been probably one of the most eventful and busy summers of my life. I'm hoping that the settling down of my personal life will allow me some more time to keep this story updated more regularly, along with the recent end of my writer's block. We'll see!

**Disclaimer- **Burton's et al.

* * *

"What do they look like again, Miss Sally?"

This had to have been the fifth time Lotte had asked, though Sally had long ago lost count, being too preoccupied with preparing tea for her incoming guests.

"Like I said, Lotte, two of them are vampires, but they look almost exactly like you or your parents- just a bit paler, that's all. One of them is a mummy, like the kind they have in Egypt as we learned a week ago, and the other is a skeleton, which is basically what you are underneath all your skin. Do you remember me also showing you a skeleton during your lessons last week?"

Lotte nodded a bit absently, as if she was still trying to process the capability of something like a skeleton moving and talking.

"But there's absolutely no reason for you to be scared of them," Sally continued as she transported a plate of cookies from the kitchen to the prepared breakfast table. "They're the nicest beings you'll ever meet."

"Sally!" Augusta's chime-like voice called from the front door, which she had uncharacteristically opened without knocking in all of her excitement. "I believe your friends are approaching the estate!"

The ragdoll's smile grew wide and she could feel the butterflies in her stomach begin to act up more fiercely than they had all day. She shifted in front of the bathroom mirror to primp hastily for the final time, before taking Lotte's hand and following Augusta outside to greet her guests.

Sure enough, the unmistakable shape of a carriage carting a group of passengers could be seen drawing closer. Sally squinted her eyes to try and see everyone clearer, but Lotte started tugging on the fabric of her skirt in the hopes her nanny might give her a bit of leverage. She obliged her, taking Lotte into her arms and propping her up on her hip so that she might see a bit better over the towering adults.

Augusta and Lionel wasted no time meeting the carriage as it drew to a stop in front of the estate, unloading what was obviously Victor, Seraphina, Ziggy and, unexpectedly, a middle-aged vampire woman. Jack was the last to disembark and greet Lionel with a sturdy handshake, and Sally couldn't help the gigantic smile that the sight of him elicited.

"Is that the skeleton?" Lotte asked, withdrawing a bit into Sally's shoulder. Sally just nodded in response and comfortingly smoothed Lotte's curls as she placed her back on the ground.

"Let's go say hello, Lotte."

The two of them didn't get very far, however, before Victor caught sight of his old friend and walked quickly and enthusiastically over to greet her, arms outstretched.

"Sally!" he exclaimed, taking her in his arms for a firm, friendly hug. She was a bit taken-back by his overt lack of modesty or reservation. Even though they were close friends and hadn't seen each other in a good while, she still expected some of his characteristic shyness to come through, considering, especially, the crush he reported to be nursing for her.

Yet none was to be found. Sally wondered for a brief second where this newfound confidence and extroversion might have come from, before she quickly received her answer in the form of a kiss on both cheeks from one, Seraphina Belvoir.

"Hi, Sally!" she grinned. "I'm Seraphina Belvoir. We haven't met before, but I helped to write that letter from Jack and Victor. I've also assumed your old job and apartment so I thought we might have a lot in common, given I've sort of ended up following in your footsteps! I hope it's okay I came today with Victor- oh, _and _brought my mother, as she doesn't like being left alone at the apartment. So, anyway, if it's alright with you, I'd like to try being friends! What do you say?"

Sally could only nod and respond a bit breathlessly, "Y-y-yes, of course!", as Seraphina's fast way of talking had nearly thrown her for a loop.

Ziggy then skittered over to her former roommate with her obligatory hug and kiss on the cheek and "Oh my gawd, Sally, Easter Town looks so good on you!" while Lotte summoned up the courage to introduce herself to Seraphina and Victor.

Eventually, Lionel and Augusta made their way over to the group, followed by Isabella Belvoir and Jack. The skeleton king waited patiently for Ziggy to finish regaling Sally with the story of her latest boyfriend escapades before greeting her himself.

Ziggy seemed to take quick notice of these none-too-subtle attempts of Sally's to peer at Jack hopefully from around her blonde pigtails. She simply rolled her eyes and sighed, "I'll tell you more lata," before stepping aside to allow the two old friends to have their moment.

"Sally," Jack breathed in what could almost be misconstrued as a dreamy sigh.

Sally could only smile wider.

"I think I've missed you more than you could ever know, Jack."

Whatever had been controlling Jack's impulses at that moment seemed to die completely, as he quickly swooped her up into a tight, desperate embrace, which she returned as best she could in the midst of her surprise. Once her feet were again on solid ground, Jack eyed her squarely and gripped her shoulders.

"I'm so sorry," he whispered privately. "…for everything."

She simply nodded, took one of his bony hands in hers and patted it reassuringly.

"It's behind us now. Let's just leave it there and move forward."

He nodded in agreement, but the moment was allowed to go no further before Isabella could be heard complaining about the burning brightness of the sunlight.

"I couldn't agree more, dear lady," Lionel said. "Shall we retire to Sally's cottage? I understand she has quite the spread laid out for all of you."

* * *

The hour or so of tea and discussion that the group shared was exceedingly pleasant. Seeing and conversing light-heartedly with all of her friends again made Sally feel practically filled to the brim with mirth. Truthfully, it was a wholeness that she had never realized she missed as much as she did.

Augusta and Lionel made for excellent hosts as well, though that came as no surprise to her. Lionel and Isabella got along swimmingly, due to Lionel's inescapable charm and apparent desire to warm the cockles of Isabella's resilient heart, and it wasn't long before she was agreeing to let him show her the expanse of the garden- with the aid of a protective umbrella and head shawl, of course. Seraphina and Victor expressed an interest in seeing Easter's downtown when Augusta made mention of the candy shop, and Lotte, who had found much joy in alternating between Seraphina and Victor's laps, invited herself along. Ziggy, meanwhile, was far more interested in the kind of shopping one could do in said downtown, and since Augusta never passed on an opportunity to buy clothes and gab, she was soon whisking the lot of them out to the carriage.

Jack and Sally politely declined both offers, but there was much to be discussed privately between them anyhow and now was just as good a time as any.

They chose to walk the grounds of the estate, though Sally kept a sharp eye out for the both of them. She had not yet told Jack about the issue with the spiders or the event that befell the family a week before. She supposed the right opportunity to do so would present itself sooner or later and there was no real point in forcing it.

"How is Tivona doing?" Sally asked with genuine concern as she and Jack strolled leisurely by the rose bushes.

Jack suspiciously cleared his throat. "Oh, yes, uhm…she's doing quite well, I think."

"You think…?"

"Well, you see, it's rather difficult to say for sure…I'm not certain, uhm…how one might feel in such a situation…that she may be in…"

Sally quirked an eyebrow as Jack rambled on, seemingly without direction.

"I'm not sure what you mean, Jack," she interrupted. "Is everything alright?"

"You know," he exhaled. "I…don't want to keep this from you much longer…that is, I was hoping I could…maybe surprise you with the news when the right moment presented itself, though I guess delaying the matter is only going to exacerbate the issue…"

Once more, he seemed flustered and nervous and lacking in a coherent train of thought. Sally stopped walking so that he, too, could pause and collect his thoughts. It took Jack naught but a moment of hemming and hawing to finally glance up at his friend and smile tentatively.

"Tivona is…well, she's…she's actually…pregnant."

"I…I'm afraid I don't understand…" Sally said softly, wondering when she was going to wake up and the earth was going to stop slipping from beneath her feet.

"It's a rather funny story, actually…you see, she and the Witch Sisters did it by creating a potion using one of my ribs and a piece of Tivona's hair. It was a wedding gift, as a matter of fact."

Jack then opened a few buttons on his suit coat and revealed the bare spot where a rib should have been. "See?" he said as Sally blushed and willed herself not to look away and make the situation awkward. She just nodded and allowed him a moment to re-clothe.

"Well, then…how do you feel about all of this, Jack?" she asked after a time, gingerly sitting herself down on a nearby bench, finding it increasingly difficult to stand with ease.

He chuckled with a bit of awe and introspection as he joined her.

"So many things, if I'm honest. Happiness, amazement, surprise, shock…fear. Can you imagine that, Sally? Fear? From the King of Fright himself?"

She laughed sadly.

"I can, I assure you. There is nothing more frightening in Halloween Town or anywhere else than having to raise a child."

"Do you think…do you think I can do it? I mean…could I be a good father?"

She smiled comfortingly and placed a hand on his.

"I have every confidence in you, Jack," she replied, watching the grin form on his face at the memory of what had formerly been his phrase to her.

"Please come back," he then whispered rather desperately. "I don't think I can do this without you…you're my best friend, Sally."

The tears were already pressing against her eyelids, but she refused to let them show. Hadn't she done enough crying over this as it was?

"I really can't. I'm sorry."

She removed her hand from his and willed herself to stand from the bench and walk a few steps away to keep her face well averted.

She could hear him rise and begin to approach her.

"I understand your concerns, but I've talked to Tivona about it and she is actually quite agreeable to-"

"No, it's not just that." She knew she had to quell any mention of _that_ before it blossomed into a full-fledged discussion of unspoken, unrequited feelings and emotions, leading into yet another devastating moment of rejection. Her heart really couldn't bear that now. "There's something else keeping me here."

"The children?" Jack guessed, faltering slightly.

"Yes, the children- but not just Alistair and Lotte. Every single child, every single being here, Jack, is in extreme danger."

Jack's expression soon became both confused and very grave.

"There are spiders here," she continued. "Halloween spiders, when there formerly were none at all. Just last week Alistair was attacked and stolen by one and it took Lotte and I traversing the forest for the better part of a day just to locate and free him. Lionel went to investigate, to see if I had indeed been telling the truth, and he was wounded quite badly before I could kill it off- hence his cane and limp. There is something very wrong about all of this, I feel. It can't simply be a matter of coincidence or mistake."

"How do you know?" Jack whispered.

"I just…have an unshakeable feeling, not unlike the kind I got last Christmas. The point is, I simply can't leave these beings to fend for themselves…not when I can help them. You see that, don't you, Jack?"

He nodded. "Of course, but…why haven't you asked us for assistance?"

"As a matter of fact…that's what I'm attempting to do now."

* * *

As anyone present would attest, the day came to a close far too soon.

After a time, Jack and Sally had decided to join Lionel and Isabella in a game of bridge out on the front porch. Sally tried very hard not to let her heart swell with giddiness and pride as she watched Lionel and Jack become fast friends during the course of the card game, but it did anyway, seemingly with no heed to her wishes at all. More of the usual, she supposed, knowing it would hurt all the more when she would have to watch Jack leave with the others.

From their seated position they could almost instantly see the returning carriage coming up over the hill close to sunset. The four of them chose to leave their game as it was –with the rather optimistic promise that they'd return to it again someday- and meet the passengers as they arrived.

Seraphina and Victor, with Lotte in the arms of the former, were the first to disembark from the carriage when it came to stop. The both of them toted rather full, large bags of what could only be the famed Easter confectionary from downtown. Lotte, in fact, had a smaller bag all her own that she was eating from without much restraint. Only Sally had to be concerned about how it would affect her ability to get to sleep at a reasonable hour. Augusta and Ziggy stepped down next, both with huge shopping bags of their own, though it was almost guaranteed theirs were filled with clothes rather than sugar.

A few last minute pleasantries were exchanged until Isabella took it upon herself to mention their need to get back to town. Jack agreed to this dutifully, though not without a noticeable aura of regret. Lotte gave Seraphina and Victor tight, lingering hugs and asked with desperate naiveté of child, "Do you _have _to go?". Sally, perhaps unconscious to the decision, almost immediately looked at Jack, who she found was staring back at her. The startling realization was enough to make them both look away instantly, pretending as best they could that nothing had happened.

Seraphina confirmed that, yes, they all had to leave, but that she hoped they could visit again very soon. Lotte's answer was to nod furiously and clasp her arms around the vampire woman's neck.

The final goodbyes were soon exchanged, Sally and Jack's coming in the form of an unfortunately sad and awkward hug, before the Halloween Town folk loaded themselves back into their carriage and started down the road that would lead to the portals. Jack held Sally's gaze for as long as he could, but eventually the distance became too great and the carriage disappeared completely.

Sally sighed, feeling quite empty and incomplete, as she told Lotte it was time for bed and that she needed to go upstairs and get ready. As Lotte dragged herself to the house, Lionel turned and said to his children's governess,

"Thank you."

"For what, Mr. Price?"

"For showing me what a fool I am," he half-smiled, twirling his cane in the ground absentmindedly. "If it weren't for you, I would have never discovered the delightful beings that live in Halloween Town. I would have continued to operate under the assumption that they were somehow less worthy than I, and therefore shouldn't even breathe the same air."

"If it's any consolation, most of them don't breathe," Sally joked.

Lionel simply chuckled and nodded a good night to her, as he turned to join Augusta –who had long ago turned on her heel and walked in- in the main house.

As he did so, Sally noticed Alistair for the first time all day, sitting somewhat hidden on the front porch with his legs dangling out of the side railing. His bright blue eyes were fixed at the spot where the Halloween carriage had once been, and yet he looked neither disgusted nor mocking. If anything, he was seemingly awed and intrigued by the beings that had visited, and perhaps conflicted as well, as though he too had to rethink his preconceived notions of those different from what he was familiar with.

She quickly looked away, however, knowing the spell over him might be broken if he knew she had seen his look of awe. Instead, she ascended the porch and pretended to take a first notice of him there, acting as surprised as she could. When she told him he needed to prepare for bed, he didn't argue or fight- a first for the both of them. Instead, he simply nodded and walked obediently into the manor and up the main flight of stairs to the bedrooms.

Sally had not yet gotten the opportunity to educate Alistair like she did his sister on the beings that he saw that day. She expected to soon receive some questions from him, however, and she looked forward to the opportunity. If she could not see or converse with her friends -or, more specifically, with Jack- she could at least speak warmly of them to others.


	23. Chapter 21 A Merry Little Christmas

_Chapter 21- A Merry Little Christmas _

**A/N- **Other than stating the obvious that this chapter is significantly longer than the last_, _I have nothing in particular to say. Read on!

**Disclaimer- **Burton's et al. _  
_

* * *

"So, please, if any of you are willing, don't hesitate to sign up," Jack said from the podium in Town Hall. "Easter Town needs our help now and we'd be doing an injustice to the cause of assimilation if we didn't heed their call. Thank you."

The low hum of mutters and murmurs almost immediately blanketed the crowd as Jack brought an end to the meeting. Conflicted seemed to the emotion of the hour as being after being eyed the volunteer militia sign-up sheet wearily before cautiously scooting out the door without signing. Truthfully, Jack didn't really expect a flock to sign-up immediately after presenting the plan. He was fully aware that his citizens might need some time mull over the idea before making a commitment, which he'd endure as patiently as he could.

Still, Easter Town needed them sooner rather than later. It was already December, which meant Easter itself was that much closer than before. What would a spider invasion mean for the celebration of the holiday? Jack couldn't say for sure, but that, plus the wellbeing of Sally's charges, worried him greatly.

As he stepped down from the stage to join Tivona, now one month along in her pregnancy and already wearing dresses two sizes larger than previous, he noticed that a few brave individuals gingerly signed their names. Perhaps with the King looming over them they had felt too intimidated to approach, Jack thought.

"I suppose this means more quality time for you to spend in Easter Town," Tivona remarked snidely as she began to gather her things. "Rather convenient, wouldn't you say? You know, you didn't necessarily need to drag the whole of Halloween Town into your elicit affairs, Jack."

Jack's most current excuse for Tivona's irritable behavior was the fact that she was with child and, thusly, hormonal. He was certain that the Vampire nutrient pills Dr. Finkelstein had prescribed her were adding to that. But even he had his threshold and was beginning to get a little tired of the same accusations made day after day. He knew that Town Hall was hardly the place for a marital squabble, but it was almost empty anyway and he was getting a bit too angry to think the whole thing through.

"That's enough," he snapped, mostly under his breath. "This isn't about me or _anyone else_, this is about assisting a fellow Holiday Town. I'm not about to let them be wiped out simply because my wife inexplicably doesn't trust me."

"Inexplicably?" Tivona threw back, appalled. "I said you could correspond with her through letters, Jack, not move in with her! You're obviously trying to see how far you can push this, as if you expect me to just sit back like a slack-jawed idiot and watch you do it without saying a word!"

"What do you expect _me_ to do, Tivona? There's no one else to head up the volunteer taskforce. As the King, and as the person who brought the whole thing up, I think it's only appropriate that I-"

"I do beg your pardon, am I interrupting something?"

The both of them made a whiplash turn to see who had intervened and were met by the striking visage of Lord Belvoir. Jack didn't see Tivona glare purposefully at the newest member of the conversation. If he had, he might have, for a moment, suspected something.

"No, no, not at all," Jack replied, trying to regain his pleasantry. "The Queen and I were just having a discussion."

"Yes, so I gathered," Septimus smirked. "At any rate, your majesty, I'm not entirely sure the both of us have been properly introduced before. Strange, how we managed to avoid that, even after having been in the same town for hundreds of years, don't you think?"

Jack simply nodded, his mind not truly on the situation at hand. "Oh, yes, I do. Very strange."

Septimus extended his gloved hand. "Lord Septimus Belvoir, leader of the Atrox Clan. Certainly you've at least _heard _of me?"

"Oh, yes sir, of course!" Jack brightened slightly. "As you probably know, your daughter, Seraphina, works as my personal assistant. She's quite proficient at her job, I've been quite impressed by-"

"Yes, yes, I'm sure she's a delight." Septimus interrupted, politely holding up a hand. "I unfortunately did not approach you this evening in the hopes of discussing Seraphina's abilities to file papers. In fact, I was quite intrigued by this volunteer militia idea of yours. If I may be so bold, It seems quite the undertaking for a town that is not your own."

"But quite necessary, my lord," Jack assured. "The Easter Town citizens are simply unprepared to deal with this on their own. Luckily, however, we have a former Halloween Town resident there now. She's been doing what she can to help, but it's becoming rather insurmountable for her, which is why she's asked us to come to their aid."

Septimus quirked an eyebrow. "A former resident, you say?"

"Yes, a close friend of mine."

Tivona gave Septimus a meaningful look, another that Jack missed due to her being behind him. It was the only clue the Vampire Lord needed, and so he chose to not pursue the matter further.

"Well, in any case, I am rather curious as to whether or not you think heading up the effort yourself is the best idea after all. I couldn't help but overhear a bit of the conversation between yourself and the Queen and it seems as if she is not entirely agreeable to the prospect of you leaving and spending time with this…_friend_ of yours. But can she really be blamed, sire? I would say no, given that she is not only too young and inexperienced to run the kingdom in your stead, but also with child. Do you not think it wiser to perhaps stay?"

Jack faltered a bit with a growing sense of guilt and looked back at Tivona rather apologetically before answering.

"But you see…there really is no other option. This was entirely my idea and I think I should be the one who takes responsibility for it. It couldn't be fair to ask someone to take that place, I'm sure."

"Luckily," Septimus smiled. "You don't have to ask. I am more than willing to head up this volunteer task force, your majesty, if you would permit me. I am already in a position of leadership, and I can guarantee you the recruitment of ten times the amount of volunteers than you would have otherwise. I am rather proficient in the art of persuasion, you understand."

Jack nodded, considering the prospect carefully.

"Furthermore," he continued. "It would leave you here to deal with the domestic issues, as well as be there to care for your family. There can be no cause more important than that, your majesty, I assure you- take it as gospel, from father to father. And wouldn't the Holiday Council prefer to find you at the post that you were assigned, rather than spending a gratuitous amount of time in another town? I might guess that would be of magnified importance, considering…well, I'm sure _you _know what event I'm avoiding to mention."

"Yes, I do," Jack sighed. "And your points are all extremely valid. I can't say I can think of one argument against them. So, you would have no problem undertaking this job then? It's not going to be easy."

Septimus bowed his head respectfully. "Sire, it would be both an honor and privilege."

* * *

_Jack, _

_I completely understand that you won't be able to bring the militia in immediately. I recognize that training and preparation are important and despite the fact that the residents of Halloween Town are familiar with facing the spiders, there is still a great many of them and growing. They are also quite ravenous, so please make sure the volunteers are prepared. We are doing a rather sufficient job of keeping them at bay for the time being, and we can keep it up successfully until the start of the New Year, I expect. I will continue to keep you regularly updated on the status of things here. _

_Your friend,_

_Sally_

There were a few things Sally was careful to not include in this letter, more for Jack's sake than anything else.

She worded everything as simplistically as she could so that no one could mistake it for anything but a professional correspondence. She made sure to give herself the title of 'friend' because she knew that it was high time to begin thinking of herself as such and never anything other than that; she and Jack were and always would be _friends_, and she hoped the both of them could truly come to terms with this reality sooner rather than later.

The last thing she purposefully left out was the two spider-related deaths that had occurred last week. She didn't want to worry Jack any more than he already was and there was nothing he or an unprepared militia could do at this point to remedy the fact that two Easter Town beings had been spirited away and devoured.

The first victim had been Mrs. Audlington, an upstanding duck in the community who was married to a member of the Easter Town parliament. Though a housewife first and foremost, Mrs. Audlington collected a menial salary for her large family selling hats. Sally understood that she had been making a special delivery one evening on the outskirts of town and was on her way back when she disappeared. There was naught but her shawl, hat and basket left behind, strewn apart from each other within the patch of woods she would have been passing at the time. It didn't do much to corroborate that a spider had been responsible, but Sally was confident that it had been. The townsfolk, on the other hand, had never in their whole existence had to deal with anything so unpleasant. Whereas any other holiday town might start naming probable suspects, the Easter Town government refused to believe that any of the citizens would do something so savage and instead chose to panic from confusion. No one, save for the Prices, believed Sally's suspicions.

That was until a few days later, when a spider sighting was made by a few women gathering flowers near the forest. Narrowly escaping with their lives, the two women fled to the downtown square and reported to have been pursued by the beast for a time. Sightings only began to grow from there, and ever so gradually the government was finding itself having to embrace the seemingly outlandish stories as truth, lest they face insurrection from the already panicking public.

A young girl by the name of Abigail Wheatley, whose parents had apparently not taken the reports seriously or simply didn't know where she was at the time, was taken before the week was out. Her death was significantly more telling, as instead of being consumed whole, the spider had wound her up until she suffocated and drained her of blood completely. When she was found, there was truly no other conclusion anyone could make about the matter. Spiders were in Easter Town, and if Sally's deduction of their behavior was correct, they were particularly hungry and growing desperate.

She didn't need to hear Lionel's insistence that something needed to be done, but he gave her the lecture anyway. She assured him that Jack was building a militia as quick as he could, but also agreed that, in the meantime, matters were going to have to be taken into other hands- specifically, hers.

And so she took up writing on the Price's dusty typewriter. She finished her draft of _Giant Spiders- What They Are and How to Keep Them at Bay - _a proposal for an article in the Easter Town newspaper- in one night and had it sent to the editor as soon as possible. While she waited for a response, she put the same knowledge she had finished sharing in her article to use and began peppering the borders of the Price estate with a ground mixture of chestnuts, cloves and orange rinds. Following this, she sprayed the outer trees and ground lining the forest with lavender oil and vinegar. It may seem like a daunting task for one person to accomplish, but Lotte and Alistair made no fuss to assist her in the effort.

Lastly, she retrieved a package of steaks she'd had brought over from Halloween Town out of the icebox in which they'd been kept. Alistair and Lotte were especially intrigued by these, as meat consumption was completely unheard of in Easter Town and neither one had ever seen them before. Sally hesitated to tell them what they were, as both of the children were close friends with a family of bovines that lived a few miles away. Instead, she lied and said that it was meat from an animal native to Halloween Town and that as gross as it might have been to them, it was important to slake the spider's hunger as best they could.

Alistair, in an attempt to be courageous, offered to place the meat where the spiders could find it. Sally allowed him this, but kept extremely close and watchful with Lionel's rifle and a parcel of the ground mixture they had just used.

It wasn't long before the newspaper approved the article, even going so far as to ask Sally if she'd be interested in maintaining a weekly column on the subject for a time. She agreed and began spending most of her evenings at that same typewriter, coming up with several weeks' worth of drafts in a matter of hours.

The knowledge of Sally's proficiency on the subject began to spread around the town not long after the publication of the first article. Mailed proposals for public appearances and demonstrations began to get more frequent and despite the fact that public speaking was not a favorite of hers, Sally eventually agreed to a few, thinking it in the best interest of the town. Thus, the good part of a few days were spent in the town square, educating the Easter citizens on giant spiders and the best ways to stave them off. Alistair and Lotte naturally accompanied her as assistants and were not in the least bit argumentative or difficult. This was all rather exciting for them, Sally supposed.

The days of December passed by rather quickly, and it seemed as if the new efforts were having a positive effect, as the spider sightings gradually dwindled and ceased. Sally knew it would only last so long, however, as hunger could and would make them desperate enough to walk straight through the repellent to find food; they had just been warded off, after all, not made extinct. But for the time being, the town was mostly safe and Sally could allow herself to look forward to educating the Prices on the Christmas traditions.

* * *

If there was anything that could bring Jack out of a bad mood, it was Christmas in any capacity.

Victor was well aware of the fact, so when Seraphina began making reports that Jack didn't seem to be his usual self, he knew exactly what to do.

"Have you considered, perhaps, throwing a party of sorts, in celebration of the holiday?" Victor asked one rather uneventful afternoon.

Jack perked up visibly, but continued to maintain his somber mood as best he could. "Oh…I don't know, Victor…it's so close to Christmas now, I'm not sure we'll have the time. Besides, I can't even imagine what sort of reaction the public will have to me trying to celebrate Christmas _again_…"

"Oh, now, don't be like that. We all had a good time, when everything was said and done. At any rate, you're not _stealing _anything this time, you're just celebrating it at home which you have every right to do. Why not allow yourself this one luxury after all that's happened to you this year? Don't you think you deserve it?"

Jack didn't say anything, seeming to mull over the possibility.

"We could invite some of the other holiday towns," Victor offered. "You could see if Mr. Claus wouldn't mind bringing us some of that wonderful snow again this year, if he gets the time. We could sing carols and drink wassail and deck the halls with boughs of holly and-"

"Alright, alright!" Jack exclaimed, now completely unable to even pretend he was in a bad mood. "We'll do it, Victor, for goodness sakes!"

The both of them laughed and proceeded to call Seraphina in to help them jot down some ideas.

As anticipated, the Mayor's reaction to the whole thing when Jack got around to presenting the ideas to him was somewhere between flustered and annoyed. Jack did feel bad, knowing full-well that this wasn't the first time this year the Mayor had been subjected to his whims, but then again, the Mayor wasn't truly happy with celebration plans unless they were presented a year in advance. Then, even, he would sometimes grumble disapprovingly; Halloween was truly the only celebration he was willing and eager to plan for. Still, Jack was King and, as Tivona reminded him continuously, he needed to be more firm and assertive with his power. They were going to celebrate Christmas, it was going to be fun, and the Mayor would just have to deal with it.

So the next week was spent cobbling together a Christmas Eve gathering. Jack put Seraphina in charge of designing and sending out the invitations and he and Victor worked together on rooting out decorations from last year, as well as arranging for the appropriate refreshments. Tivona, meanwhile, spent most of her time in darkened and dimly-lit rooms, either sleeping or reading or eating. She and Jack were not interacting or even seeing as much of each other due to her being aloof and him being preoccupied with Christmas preparations and Victor could have sworn that he almost seemed happier because of it. He wondered if that realization had crossed Jack's mind at any point, but mostly doubted it.

Christmas Eve eventually arrived in snow-laden splendor, as Santa had managed to squeeze a pass over Halloween Town on his way to the mortal world, and beings of all holidays flocked to the brightly lit town square. Perhaps fortunately, none of these beings were of Christmas town origin, so no one would really be able to tell that the choice of decoration was more gothic and Halloween-y than anything else, but the point was probably moot anyway as the gratuitous alcohol consumption started rather early in the evening.

As the festivities raged on and a large, drunken, and otherwise uncoordinated dance had formed around the Christmas tree to –what else?- 'Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree', Tivona sat at the far edge of the square, watching it all unfold with bitter resentment. Of all the holidays she hated or didn't give two licks about, Christmas had to be at the top of the list.

For everyone she'd ever known, and even these _things _in Halloween Town, apparently, Christmas was wonderful. It was a time when everyone was happy, when they would eat and drink too much, spend time with people they hated, kiss underneath plants, and be greedy assholes. This was considered a holiday to look forward to and cherish for the majority of everyone, hence the line in the song 'it's the most wonderful time of the year', and Tivona had only their testimonials to go by. She'd never known a Christmas like that.

Back in Hawaii, Christmas meant waking up early and sneaking down the creaky hallway to hear her mother's snoring, a for-sure sign that she'd made it back from the bar and hadn't drowned in her own vomit or something of the like. Christmas meant wandering downstairs to sometimes find her father, who made a habit of disappearing for years or months at a time, sleeping drunkenly on the couch. Christmas meant slipping into her younger sister's room and crawling under the sheets with her to sleep for as long as they could before their father realized the mother of his children, whom he had never bothered to make a commitment to anyway, had brought a man home.

When the yelling started, that was when Tivona would usher said younger sister, Tabitha, into some presentable clothes and take her out onto the beach just a few steps from the house. The both of them would traverse the sand, looking for shells and flowers and other accoutrements, which they'd eventually use as decoration for their sandcastles. They might go into town for a bit, and the mothers aware of their situation would give them a toy or two, a couple of bento boxes made of whatever the family had eaten for Christmas dinner, and some poi with milk or sugar. If they were really lucky, there'd even be some chunks of pineapple.

Tivona didn't dare take them home until later in the evening, when their father, Tierney, was certain to have staggered off to who-knows-where. The evening of Christmas Day was spent very much the same way Christmas Eve was- in one of their bedrooms, door closed, and a TV playing some sort of seasonal movie loud enough so Tabitha wouldn't have to hear their mother sobbing or cussing out her boyfriend of the week. Tivona would never know how much of that she was actually able to protect her younger sister from, but the fact that Tabitha gave off an aura of perpetual, blissful unawareness for her entire childhood, she imagined she was quite successful- or at least, to a point.

Suffice it to say, Christmas was not a happy occasion in her mind. It was a time in which she worked extra hard to make her little sister happy, to give off the illusion that their family –such as it was- wasn't messed up or dysfunctional. So when she saw people celebrating and taking complete advantage of an opportunity and series of experiences that she would never know, she couldn't help but feel a wash of disdain. She would never, could never know a Christmas like that, and fuck everyone else for not fully understanding what they had been blessed with.

"May I sit here?"

The sudden sound made her jump, having been caught up in her own self-pitying thoughts, and Tivona whipped around quickly to see the ragdoll standing beside her. She was stricken by surprise for only a moment, having not even been aware that Sally was invited, and regained herself when she realized her mouth had been hanging open stupidly.

"It's a free country," she said almost automatically, realizing only after that she wasn't exactly in America anymore, thereby making her comment somewhat strange. She didn't bother to retract it or explain herself, however. Instead she turned herself farther away from the now-occupied chair beside her and tried her best to pretend Sally wasn't there. It was truly the last thing she wanted to deal with right now.

"How are you feeling?" Sally asked after a time, her voice soft. Tivona groaned, despite knowing this conversation was inevitable.

"Rather ill, thanks."

"Oh…I'm sorry to hear that. If you ever need anything to soothe your nausea, I'd be happy to-"

"No." Tivona stated firmly. "I'm sure I don't need any more _help _from you."

There was an awkward pause before Sally ventured to speak again.

"I'm sorry, Tivona, I really am. What happened that night- I never meant-"

"Don't you dare," Tivona hissed, turning fully to face Sally. "The last thing I want to talk to anyone about tonight is your disgusting display with my husband the night before our wedding."

"But I'm not trying to _talk _about it," Sally insisted. "I'm trying to apologize for it!"

"And I have absolutely no obligation to accept it, so you might as well save your breath."

With that, the Halloween Queen rose from her seat and began storming towards the castle in a fury, leaving the obnoxious merriment behind her. She didn't expect to be pursued, however.

"Why can't we just talk?" Sally called from behind her, trying to keep up. "I have things I'd like to say to you!"

Tivona stopped abruptly, causing the eager ragdoll to nearly bump into her. When this happened, she seized Sally's wrist and began dragging her along to the castle with the explanation,

"What a coincidence? I have quite a few things I'd like to say to you."

It was only after the two women arrived in said castle and Tivona had rather forcefully instructed Sally to have a seat in the lobby's chaise that either of them spoke again.

"First of all," Tivona shouted. "Who do you think you are? Where did you find the gall to invite yourself to this party after all you've done?"

"I assure you I didn't invite myself," Sally explained calmly. "Jack did."

"Ha! Of course he did! I give him the go-ahead to write letters to you and now he's trying to spend every waking moment in your town and he's inviting you to things without so much as suggesting to me that he would beforehand."

Sally shifted uncomfortably. "Tivona, no one is deceiving you…"

"Oh yes, it sure looks that way, doesn't it?"

Tivona then began to pace back and forth, mumbling incoherently under her breath. Sally took a moment to observe her in this state, seeing something almost pure and uninhibited. This was unlike the reaction she elicited the night before the wedding in a thousand different ways. Tivona's anger this time was undoubtedly real and genuine, whereas before it seemed almost as if she was performing a rather dramatic scene for an audience. Sally was beginning to think she was seeing a side of her that not many had before.

"Do you want to know how this story is going to end, Sally Stitches? _Do you_?" Tivona asked rhetorically after her pacing came to a stopping point. "You're going to go back to your town. You and Jack will write to each other for a few more years and gradually the frequency of the correspondence will begin to lessen. It'll go from two letters a week to one, from four letters a month to two, from twenty-four letters a year to, I don't know, eight, let's say, and so on. You'll move on with your life and whatever it is you do in that town where people shit pastel and you'll forget about Jack. Jack will live here, as King, with me on his arm and a child at his feet, and he will be blissfully, ignorantly happy and he'll forget all about you. _That's _how it ends, Sally. I suggest you accept it sooner rather than later."

The two of them stared at each other for a moment, the silence so thick it could suffocate them both. Tivona gazed more fixedly, more direly, more hatefully at Sally than anyone had ever done before. She couldn't deny that Tivona's words had cut her to the quick, but she couldn't find it in herself to be angry. When she looked at the decorated woman before her, all she could feel was unadulterated pity.

"I'm not trying to take anything from you. Why do you think-"

"Like hell you are!" Tivona screamed, a break in her voice that was inarguably caused by the onset of tears. "Since the day I met you, you've had that insufferable innocence. _I'm precious little Sally Stitches who pretends to be a blameless little naïve twit while I secretly undermine someone else's happiness!_ You let it slip by everyone you meet, except for me. I've only ever been the one with enough sense to see right through you, and you know it, don't you? That's why you've done what you've done. You thought it might scare me off, didn't you? You thought I might just go crawling back to the hole I came out of to leave you to your whims, _didn't you_?"

Sally couldn't deny that Tivona looked almost maniacal, her eyes wide and fevered and her hair beginning to lose its perfect styling. It was the first time she had ever wondered if Tivona might actually rip her limb from limb.

"This is _my _happy ending, don't you see?" she continued, starting to shake. "This is the one time I get what I want. This is when no one else matters but me. I don't have to think about anyone else but _me_. If you think I'm going to let you take this away…"

Her breathing suddenly grew labored and she slowly collapsed to the ground in a fit of sobs. Sally froze for a moment, completely blown away by what she had just witnessed. She eventually found it within herself to leave the chaise and kneel down beside the quivering mass of gelatin that young woman had metaphorically morphed into. Surprisingly, Tivona neither flinched nor rejected it when Sally placed a tentative hand on her shoulder.

"What must have happened to you to make you like this?" Sally wondered in a rather loud whisper.

Tivona momentarily looked up at the ragdoll. Her expression held the same desperation as before, but the maliciousness had vanished; in its place was sadness, a plea for help, perhaps even a sense of being completely lost. There was an understanding between the two of them in that oh-so fleeting instance that neither one would ever be able to fully explain or comprehend. They both knew beyond a doubt, however, that they would never be able to take it back. It was an unintentional pact that would linger perpetually.

But it was shattered, perhaps thankfully, by the sound of a piercing scream coming from outside. Both women immediately abandoned their spot on the floor to rush out the large double doors and see what had caused the uproar.

* * *

It had all happened in something of a blur. One minute, he was dancing along with everyone else to 'Jingle Bell Rock', just as light-headed as anybody there, and the next minute his arm was being seized by the Mayor as he realized the music and dancing had come to grinding halt.

"Jack," The Mayor cried in raspy whisper, sporting his terrified face. "Jack, something's…happened…you must come, quick!"

Jack allowed the Mayor to drag him, stumbling, a short walk from the town square.

"Maayor…where are we going? What could have- c-could have been so important as…as to ruin the fun of the party?"

He soon got his answer when the closely-knit crowd parted to reveal a shaking, bleeding Firecracker Dancer from the Independence Day town lying on the cobblestones. The messy bite marks in her neck spoke of not a vampire – as they would have been two simple, neat and precise holes rather than a whole row of blood smeared teeth marks- but of a werewolf. The scratch marks on her arms and legs were only a further indication.

Jack's jaw dropped, being too taken back and perhaps a bit too drunk to respond in a timely manner.

As if on cue, Septimus Belvoir suddenly appeared, parting the crowd like the red sea. He gazed with a rather controlled horror at what lay before him before shouting the commands that Jack, by all rights, should have been.

"Where is the Doctor? Will someone please locate Dr. Finkelstein? Time is of the essence!"

He knelt beside the young woman with a towel to stifle the blood flow from her neck while Dr. Finkelstein slowly rolled the front of the crowd.

"You rang?" he grumbled.

"Doctor, I do believe there is a girl lying before you that needs your assistance! Must I elaborate on this further?"

Dr. Finkelstein glared at the Vampire Lord, but his tune quickly changed when the pretty young dancer looked at him desperately and pleaded, "Please sir, help me. Help me, it hurts…"

"Very well." he sighed. "I can very easily stop the pain and heal your wounds, my dear, but there is nothing I can do for the path you are on now." He then glanced at the Behemoth and instructed him to carry her to the lab.

As this transpired, one of her fellow dancers asked loudly to anyone that could provide an answer,

"What does he mean 'the path' she's on now? What does he mean by that?"

"Is she dying?" another ventured worriedly.

Lord Belvoir sighed regretfully. "I regret to inform you both, dear ladies, that she has been attacked and bitten by a werewolf, which means she will gradually become one. I daresay it chose her specifically in the interest of gaining a mate."

The two girls gasped in utter horror.

"This is all your fault!" a third dancer shouted, pointing directly at Jack. "You're the King of this godforsaken town, aren't you? You're supposed to be keeping your citizens under control! Unless, of course, you've corralled us all here in the interest of letting them pick us all off?"

"Don't give him so much credit," commented a St. Patrick's Town leprechaun. "He's too busy stealing everyone else's holidays to govern the damn town, much less do his citizens any favors."

"No!" Jack exclaimed through his drunken state. "No, i-it's not like that at all! I had no idea this would- I mean, I never meant for-"

As Jack struggled, Seraphina and Victor looked on in another part of the crowd. It was around this time, however, that Seraphina gave Victor's arm a gentle squeeze and whispered desperately,

"You have to help him!"

Victor nodded and quickly snapped to action, jumping in front of his skeleton friend almost protectively.

"I-I-I think what the King means to say is that he's dreadfully upset and remorseful about this whole thing and is just as surprised by it as any of you. W-w-we've, uhm…we've never had a problem like this before, have we, Jack?"

Jack paused, knowing that if he were to nod or say 'yes' it would be a lie. Horace had always been a menace and there was no doubt in his mind that it was Horace who had done this. What made it worse is that he should have anticipated it. There was nothing whatsoever keeping the werewolf restrained or confined aside from pure preoccupation and, as Jack had wrongly assumed, a growing disinterest in Halloween Town.

Jack chose not to answer, which caused the crowd to explode into angry, shouted accusations.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I think the soiree has come to an end," Septimus spoke over the uproar. "Kindly collect your belongings and make way towards the Holiday doors. The remainder of the Firecracker sisters may follow me to Dr. Finkelstein's laboratory."

This seemed to soothe the crowd and so they all obediently followed Septimus' directions, grumbling and glaring at Jack as they left. Victor and Seraphina almost immediately formed a protective envoy around the King and made to transport him safely back to the castle. Sally and Tivona, meanwhile, had witnessed the entire display and simply looked at each other in bewilderment.

"I want to go help that girl at the lab," Sally said. "Jack…could probably use some support right now…don't you think?"

Tivona pursed her lips in irritation, but simply nodded at Sally in agreement. They then parted ways, Sally heading towards the lab, and Tivona walking as far as she needed to back to the castle so that no one would suspect her of waiting behind for Septimus instead.

* * *

"Well, well, look what the cat dragged _back _in," Dr. Finkelstein sneered as Sally entered the lab. "Come to get your job back, have you? I hate to tell you that it's been filled, my dear. Or perhaps you didn't notice Ruby when she let you in?"

"I'm not concerned about that, Doctor," Sally said as she began to withdraw and sort her herbs. "I already have another job, thank you very much."

Meanwhile, the Firecracker Dancer sobbed rather noticeably on the center table. Sally noticed that neither Septimus nor the other Dancers were there, indicating that their stay must not have been a long one.

"Do you have something to shut that girl up?" the Doctor asked, taking a sip of his tea. "I've already done all that I can for the wounds. I can't very well change the fact that she's going to grow fur and eat out of dumpsters and have a dog for a husband before too long, but she doesn't seem to understand that."

This made the girl only wail louder.

"Thank you so much for your help, Doctor," Sally smiled sarcastically. "Why don't you find someone else to torment, hmm?"

Dr. Finkelstein threw his hands in the air in resignation and gladly wheeled himself out the room. Sally then took a spot beside the young woman and began the final preparation of the herbs.

"My sisters…" the girl moaned sadly. "My sisters left me. They said they couldn't do with a wolf for a dancer…"

Sally gave the girl a sympathetic look. "I'm sorry…" she said, unsure if it was sufficient or not.

"What am I becoming?" the girl wondered aloud. "How hideous will I be when it's all said and done?"

Sally, not sure how to answer the question, turned to start boiling some water on a side lab-table. The girl seized her arm as she did this, her grip surprisingly strong.

"Can't you just kill me?" she begged. "I can't live like that…I can't be a monster…"

"It won't help," Sally assured her, before freeing her arm and continuing onward with her task. "Why don't I ask you for your name instead?"

"What does it matter? No one will recognize me, anyway. I'll be an outcast."

"Not here you won't, I promise. Please tell me your name, or at least give me something I can call you."

"Dolores," the girl responded after a pause. "Most called me Dolly for short."

Sally smiled at the slight irony of the situation. "Alright, Dolly, then. Will you please drink some tea?"

Dolly whimpered and nodded resignedly. When the herbal tea was finally done and Sally had handed her a steaming cup, she sniffed it and wrinkled her nose in hesitation.

"What is this?"

"It'll help you…" she began uncertainly. "…with the, uhm…with the change."

The mention of her situation thankfully did not send Dolly into another fit. She instead looked a bit sad before drinking obediently.

"I'm Sally, by the way. I apologize for not mentioning it earlier."

"You…live around here, I assume?"

"Well, no not exactly, I-"

Dolly suddenly shrieked and dropped her tea cup, causing it to shatter on the cement floor.

"No! No, it's happening!" she cried, curling into the fetal position. "Please help me!"

Sally tried her best to gain a hold over the situation by placing reassuring hands on her patient and attempting to whisper comforting words, but she really had never treated someone in the middle of a werewolf transformation and had no idea what to do. The condition as a whole was rather foreign to everyone in Halloween Town as there were only two other werewolves in the town besides the woman on the operating table.

Her efforts proved ineffective, as Dolly was soon throwing her arms off, clambering off the table, and heading for the door.

"Dolly, don't leave, we can help you through this!"

But when Dolly turned around, Sally could see the damage had already been done. Her formerly mahogany brown eyes were now tinted a deep red, claws had begun to sprout from where there used to be nails, and she growled, exposing her newly grown-in fangs.

Sally instead withdrew, knowing full-well there was nothing that could be done for her, and Dolly chose to continue on her retreat out the door.

* * *

The moment Septimus had turned the corner Tivona had a tight grip on his upper arm.

"What's all this about then?" he asked in his typical bemused manner, a smile creeping up one side of his face.

Tivona narrowed her eyes. "You know full-well. Don't play dumb."

Septimus took a hold of her wrist and gently tugged and rearranged until the both of them were linking arms.

"Walk with me, won't you? It is an admittedly dreadful night not to have a bit of pleasant company."

Tivona sighed and obliged him grudgingly, allowing him to lead the both of them out the gate of the town into the surrounding, snow-blanketed countryside. She was in too much of a snit to notice how the small ice particles in the snow banks glinted and shone when the light of the jack-o-lantern moon would hit them just right, giving off the illusion of buried diamonds.

"I see you've been busy," she spat instead. "…too busy to tell me _anything_, apparently."

"I'm afraid I don't know what you mean, my dear," was his response. "What is it I am supposed to have told you?"

"That you were planning to sabotage the gathering, maybe? Or what about this spider militia business you've signed yourself up for? When were you planning to explain that to me? Oh, yes, and don't let me forget- why in the world has Sally shown up again? You made it quite, unwaveringly clear that she wasn't returning anytime soon and yet, here she is!"

Septimus had to stop walking to laugh heartily.

"My darling, we are not yet even engaged and you are already performing the duties of carping wife quite expertly. I'm inclined to think your current marriage has trained you well."

Tivona huffed and crossed her arms across her chest tightly.

"I want to feel like I'm a contributing part of this, is all," she said. "You told me I was the key to getting Jack overthrown, that when he was gone we were going to get married and rule over Halloween Town ourselves. Ever since then I've heard nothing out of you, and yet you're sure to wreak some kind of havoc before the week's out."

"And you _are _quite pivotal to all of this, don't ever doubt that," Septimus assured somewhat patronizingly. "But your primary function is to give Jack a false sense of security, as well as transfer information. There is no need for you to have any knowledge of anything outside of that. Perform your assignment as I've instructed you to and nothing can go wrong."

"_At least_ explain to me what in the hell Sally was doing back here tonight," Tivona demanded with a grumble. "I've been finding it increasingly difficult to keep her at arm's length and I really think she's more of a threat to this than you give her credit for it."

Septimus pursed his lips and sighed before continuing onward with his explanation.

"The effort to rid ourselves of her backfired, but that was due to my own mistake of putting any kind of faith in Horace's ability to accomplish something without some sort of bribery, like the sort I gave him tonight. Getting rid of her now would be a waste of time and I must focus my endeavors on much more meaningful tasks and I think she might be of some use down the road, besides. As long as you keep the skeleton enamored and in his place in the meantime, she should pose no threat."

"She says things to him," Tivona pointed out. "She whispers and plants little seeds of doubt all the time. They claim to be best friends. How long can I compete with that?"

"For goodnessakes, Tivona, you don't think he actually listens to her, do you? If that were true he wouldn't have married you. Now I'm not going to stand here and tell you how to perform the task assigned to you. Be resourceful. Think things through for once. Just try and pretend to be clever, won't you?"

He then kissed her in a way that somehow felt both mocking and obligatory and it sickened her to find that she still enjoyed it as immensely as she did any other time he obliged to touch her.

"Now then, have a good Christmas, won't you?" he wished her suavely, before conveniently morphing into his bat form and flittering off into the cold, clear night, cleverly avoiding any other complaints she might fire at him.

* * *

When they awoke the next morning, Jack and Tivona were greeted by what Tivona could only characterize as a Christmas-enthusiast's wet dream. Everything in the castle was decorated far more lavishly than it had been the night before, a string quartet of ghosts played Christmas carols, and the servants were busy in the kitchen prepping what would undoubtedly be sumptuous meals for the entire day, starting with gingerbread pancakes and hot chocolate for breakfast.

Seraphina and Victor were quick to pop up from their respective hiding spots and shout 'Surprise! Merry Christmas!'. While Jack enthusiastically thanked and hugged both of them, Tivona groggily requested a cup of coffee from a nearby butler and realized, even in her early morning stupor complete with migraine, that they had no doubt done this in the hopes of getting Jack's mind off the events of last night. Tivona questioned if he actually remembered them or not given how smashed he was, but she plastered on a weak smile all through breakfast, the subsequent White Elephant game and gift-giving and the rest of the Christmas-y events of the day so that Jack might remember her as a contributing part of the merriment. With Sally making a gradual reappearance in their lives, she knew it certainly wouldn't hurt to give off the illusion of being a wonderful, irreplaceable wife.

So she did, no matter how much hatred she had for Christmas and all of the festive things she was forced to do that day.

The Price estate, meanwhile, enjoyed a similar atmosphere. Lotte and Alistair walked sleepily down the stairs at 7 am, rubbing their eyes and yawning profusely, while the adults watched them with a secret sort of giddiness. Augusta soon advised the children to look beneath the tree –the presence of which they had eventually gotten used to, no matter how odd the idea was at first- and when the both of them realized there were presents awaiting them on a day that wasn't either of their birthdays, they were soon wide awake and on the attack.

Lotte felt it imperative to show Lionel, Augusta and Sally her presents as she opened and received them, often forgetting one or two in someone's lap as she returned to scavenge for the rest. Alistair, who Sally had never really seen as anything other than stone-face and somber, wore what could only be described as a reluctantly-happy smile and permanent look of awe. He would make such remarks as, "Wow…", "Amazing…", "I've always wanted one…!" to himself as he took a remote-controlled train, toy-soldiers, and a fist-sized, hard-skinned ball out of their wrappings.

"Did you get us these?"Lotte felt compelled to ask the adults.

Sally shook her head. "Santa Claus brought them, while you were both asleep. Do you remember the story I read to you recently, 'Twas the Night before Christmas?"

Lotte and Alistair nodded their heads in slow realization.

"So, he's sort of like our rabbit then," Alistair pointed out. "He leaves us gifts while we're asleep, just like how the rabbit leaves us eggs and candy…except I think our rabbit is a bit tricksy. Santa Claus doesn't make us look for our presents!"

The adults laughed and Lionel had to point out that it was one thing Alistair and the Easter Rabbit had in common.

The rest of the day was spent allowing the children time with their toys while the adults tried out the eggnog and wassail that Sally had made the day before. Lionel also tickled the ivories in the late afternoon and the family heard, and sang, Christmas Carols for the first time. Lotte confessed that her favorite had to be "Jingle Bells", while Augusta chimed in that hers had to be "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas". Lionel and Alistair stayed mute on the subject, but Sally could tell from their enthusiasm that Lionel was particularly fond of "Good King Wenceslas" and Alistair enjoyed "Up on the Rooftop".

Like Augusta, she too favored "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas", particularly now when the words seemed to apply to her the most. After all, there was no point in lying to herself by sugarcoating the fact that this year had been difficult, that things most certainly had gone the opposite way she had hoped they would and that her world had been turned upside down. But as she sat there in the Price's large living room, singing and bouncing little Lotte on her lap while the delicate rays of sun poured in through the window, she couldn't help but feel that it had all been worth it. She still had her old friends, but she had also made new ones- in fact, she might even say she had found a family of her own.

So despite everything, she _could _let her heart be light, and she most definitely _would _have a Merry Little Christmas. A new year was fast approaching, after all, and she was ready for things to begin anew, with a clean slate. If she could start anywhere, it would be with the happiness she felt there in that living room.

Dolores the escapee, on the other hand, woke up in the sobering light of the cold morning to find she had been a Christmas present to someone else- Horace Clearwater, the werewolf who had attacked her, to be exact. She couldn't remember much from the night before after leaving the lab, but it was obvious she had met up with him again somehow and…well, the Doctor's theories about Horace wanting a mate were now painfully, obviously and unfortunately true.

She was in her human form again and the scratches on her body, as well as on that of her new, unwanted, furry husband who was sound asleep snoring beside her, stood as testament that she had probably fought him in her werewolf state before he overcame her and dragged her back to where he lived.

The thought of leaving naturally, briefly entered her mind, but she truly had nowhere to go. Her sisters didn't want a werewolf dancing beside them and, truthfully, she didn't either. No other town in their right mind would welcome such a creature and she was sure that Horace, who had gone to the trouble of changing her and hunting her down afterwards, would waste no time in hunting her down and getting her back again. What sort of life would that be? Running and running and never stopping for her entire life? Constantly having to throw looks over her shoulder to make sure she wasn't being pursued?

No, she would have to bide her time. She would have to stay confident that the moment to escape would present itself eventually, that her day would come, as long as she stayed alert and conscious of it. In the meantime, she continued to lay, defeated, in the space beside Horace on the mat of the dingy shack, lamenting the freedom that had been so quickly ripped from her.

She let herself wonder if she'd ever have it back.


	24. Chapter 22 Jan to Feb

**A/N- **As you can probably see, I'm going to try something a bit different with the time-flow in the next few chapters. Since we're spanning a good chunk of time, as briefly as possible, I've decided to chop up the story events into the months that they occur. Nothing too fancy, really, just something to make everything move smoother. Also, I wanted to share the new movie trailer I've made for this fic, which I plan to put on my bio soon. It's just something I threw together for fun, but I think it ended up alright-youtu (dot) be (forward slash) s n X k d 4 G m 5 E 8 (remove all spaces, of course. But it'll soon be on my page in a more accessible link, so worry not).

Thanks so much to all of my super loyal reviewers/alerters! I'm glad you all love the story so much to stick with it so faithfully. =)

* * *

_January_

The town square was alight that morning with a sense of celebration rivaling even that of the Easter holiday itself. A string quartet cheerfully played Vivaldi's 'Spring' and pastel streamers and balloons hung high above everyone's heads in between lampposts and store signs. Townsfolk chatted happily among themselves, while various species of young ran unbidden underfoot.

There was no indication in this delightful scene that it was not, in fact, spring, but still early January- the town still naturally beautiful and temperate to be sure, but not yet in expressed in flora or weather what it would be in early April- or that oversized spiders wandered hungrily outside the protective fortress walls. Of course, this was due to the fact that the townsfolk were quite certain the issue would be eradicated sooner rather than later; the celebration at hand was to welcome the arriving Halloween Town militia who would most definitely wipe out the spiders entirely.

The Prices, along with their governess, made a valiant attempt to wade through the cumbersome crowd towards the central square where the militia would march through. However, the density of the crowd, along with Alistair and Lotte, were not making the effort an easy one.

"Dad!" Alistair shouted. "Balloon shapes, Dad! There's a clown over there making balloon shapes! Can I get one, please?" He tugged on Lionel's sleeve insistently.

"Candy floss!" Lotte nearly shrieked, stretching away from Augusta's grasp and towards the stand where a young rabbit was making and handing said candy floss out. "I want pink candy floss!"

"Stop it, the both of you!" Lionel demanded, striving to make himself heard over the roar of the crowd. "We're not getting any of that now! The militia will be arriving at any moment."

But this explanation did not seem sufficient for either child. Indeed, the excitement of the day proved to be too overwhelming, even for two children who normally minded their father without complaint or question. Alistair groaned loudly and made a point of further insisting that he needed a balloon shape, while Lotte, still being rather young and otherwise entitled to it, chose to cry loudly.

Sally, meanwhile, walked behind the family with her lips clasped behind her teeth and her hands behind her back, as it was difficult to not try to intervene. She understood how important quality time with the children was to Augusta and Lionel and that included disciplining and dealing with them, even if they were at their worst. They needed that confirmation every once and while, however bitter of a pill it might have been to swallow, that they were attentive parents who dealt with their children as attentive parents must. And so, when this was the case -often on a Saturday, as it was today- Sally kept a respectful distance.

The siblings' worry about balloons and candy was soon stifled -perhaps thankfully- by the much more imposing sound of a trumpet fanfare, signaling the incoming arrival of the guests of honor. Lionel and Augusta quickened their pace to a jog, and Sally took Alistair's hand to make sure he was able to stick to the group and not get separated in the sudden rush to reach the square.

When they eventually arrived and managed to squeeze into a spot semi-close to the edges of the crowd, Lionel took Lotte from Augusta's arms and hoisted her onto his shoulders so that she might get a good look. Alistair, still quite shorter than the majority of the people around him and otherwise unable to see anything, crossed his arms in frustration, but Sally was quick to offer a solution. She tapped him on the shoulder and then inclined her head towards a wooden shop awning. The both of them were soon straying from the masses and hoisting themselves up on the higher elevation, which even gave them the visual advantage over Lotte. Alistair was more than pleased with this, expressing his delight in the way he swung and bounced his legs over the side.

"Here they come," Sally announced excitedly, as the first few shapes of Halloween beings could be seen marching up over the hill en route to the town.

The crowd of Easter beings grew steadily quieter as the militia came within view, until the incessant roar dimmed to the low, almost inaudible hum of whispered murmurs. All eyes were fixed on the squadron of zombies, mummies, ghosts, and skeletons- all of them things that no one in Easter town had ever laid eyes on before. Sally would have taken more time to ponder the thoughts that must have been running through the heads of the town, had she not been distracted by the sudden realization that it was not Jack heading up the front as she had anticipated, but instead, Lord Belvoir. She froze briefly, too overcome by shock to let the full weight of this reality sink in on her.

A sound that could only be described as geese with a throat infection was suddenly heard growing louder and coming within a closer proximity. Sally would know the sound anywhere and could immediately identify it, even if it was steadily coming up from behind her, but the townsfolk were not so familiar. They soon seemed to lose interest entirely in the militia that was now breeching the gate of the town, and were instead muttering about what in the world could be causing the cacophony of squeaks.

Alistair and Sally watched fixedly as a flock of bats made a curve around the town before landing in the middle of the square and almost instantly morphing into a large group of gothic aristocrats, all of whom carried umbrellas and wore shawls.

Alistair gasped in surprise and Sally whispered simply, "Vampires."

She allowed them to remain as they were, as she was just as transfixed as her charge, but the moment Septimus came in to meet the new arrivals and be welcomed by the Easter Prime Minister, she felt a sense of dread and tapped Alistair lightly on the shoulder.

"We should try to find your parents," she whispered, urging him off the awning.

He was indisputably loath to go, but he seemed to have enough trust invested in Sally's intuition to not argue. The two of them slipped back on to the cobblestones and Sally had them creep through an alleyway and out of sight.

* * *

Quality time, for Jack and Tivona, was almost always like this; Jack would work diligently on political things at his desk, while Tivona would sit at hers –one that she had strategically placed in his study very recently- and pretend to be just as encumbered. Despite being given some tentative reign over various things in the town, such as the Women's Organization and The Welcome Committee for new arrivals, Tivona was almost always distracting herself with something far less pertinent, such as nail-painting or magazine browsing.

They didn't speak extensively, with the exception of a few comments to each other on the weather or something as equally mundane. It was an improvement over arguing, Tivona supposed, though a hundred times duller. Jack didn't seem to really notice or mind, occupied as he was with the things he had to accomplish.

Over time, it had become fairly evident to her that Jack didn't ever think too hard about her or their marriage, nor had he ever, and she was thankful for the fact. He didn't take the time to realize that whatever chemistry they had only manifested itself when they yelled at each other, that they really didn't have anything in common, that maybe, just maybe he had made a huge mistake. Well, he had, there was no question of that. But for her, this was the best thing that could have happened and to sustain it, she relied on a combination of Jack's obtuseness and her ideal-wife persona. She knew that he normally thought of her as nothing more than an obligatory accessory, something he could take down to admire or show off when he wanted, but since he was little more than a meal ticket for her, she supposed the playing field was level; he may not have realized it, but he was using her just as much as she was using him. So, what the hell, she could be sweet and pleasant and complaint when he needed her to be, if it meant more riches and glory for her in the future. Why not?

And so she sat there with him while he worked, if for no other reason than to just be there, to remind him that she existed. How long he remained conscious of her presence was wholly unknown to her, but it was the effort that counted, she guessed.

"Jack," came Seraphina's soft voice from the door to the study.

Tivona didn't bother looking up anymore when she heard her. It was a combination of disdain for Seraphina and a fear, probably irrational, that she would be able to read in her eyes the fact that Tivona was having a sordid, conspiratorial affair with her father. Seraphina Belvoir might have come across as a loopy moron, but Tivona knew better. She was the daughter of Septimus, after all, and it seemed impossible that some of that flawless wit wouldn't have been inherited. If Septimus had the ability to read truths just from expressions and body language, Tivona was sure his daughter could too, her visage of being a weirdo idiot just a cleverly designed rouse to hide the fact.

It was one that Tivona Skellington was not going to fall for.

"Jack, there's someone here who would like to see you," Seraphina said."Shall I show him in?"

Before Jack could concede, Tivona interrupted.

"I'm sure Jack has asked you before to first _describe_ the person requesting an audience and what they want."

Seraphina chewed her lower lip nervously. "Actually, mam, he hasn't..."

"Well _I'm _asking you to now! And you might want to make a habit of doing so in the future, since I'm going to be around more often."

"Yes, your highness," Seraphina nodded, seemingly unaffected. "He's a representative of the Holiday Council. He says he wants to speak to King Jack about what happened at the Christmas festivities."

Jack stiffened in his chair and Tivona pursed her lips.

"You may let him in." she answered simply.

Seraphina turned away momentarily to do so, while Tivona set her sights on a now very nervous Jack.

"The nerve of these people. Don't they know they have to set up an appointment first? We're very busy, being King and Queen."

Tivona said this as she returned to painting a second coat on her nails.

Jack swallowed thickly. "They're the Holiday Council, darling. They can show up whenever they want…and I can't very well deny them an audience."

The heavy doors to the study then creaked open once more as Seraphina let in a very small man decked out in a business suit, carting a proportional briefcase in his left hand. He couldn't have been taller than 3 feet, Jack guessed, and when he got a better look at the man's pointy ears, all suspicions of his origin were confirmed.

"Good afternoon, your Majesty," the man greeted Jack warmly before turning to Tivona and making a cursory bow. "My lady."

"Good afternoon to you, my good man!" Jack replied, gesturing towards the chair directly in front of his desk. "Won't you have a seat?"

The man nodded thankfully and hoisted himself in said chair with much less of a struggle than Jack and Tivona had anticipated. Having settled in, he proceeded with the preliminaries of the meeting.

"King Jack, my name is Felix Darrow, and as I'm sure your lovely assistant has told you, I'm a representative of the Holiday Council."

"Oh yes, of course!" Jack said before looking somewhat apprehensive. "But, uhm…if you wouldn't mind me asking, Mr. Darrow…are you…you wouldn't happen to be a…Christmas Town elf, would you?"

Tivona rolled her eyes and sighed loudly, but Felix merely laughed.

"I was for many years, yes. That was until I discovered the salary difference between an elf who slaves away at toys and one who works for the Council. Because not many members of my race want to do anything besides work for Mr. Claus, the Council was eager to have me aboard. It was a rather swell deal, actually. But I'm afraid I mustn't digress, your majesty, as I am on a rather tight schedule."

Jack nodded, regaining his sense of professionalism and trying to hide away the giddiness of being in the presence of a native to Christmas Town.

"Yes, forgive me, Mr. Darrow. What brings you here?"

"Bad news, I'm afraid." Felix then planted his briefcase on the desk, opened it and began to pull out papers. "The Firecracker Sisters of Independence Day Town are not pleased with what happened to their sister on Christmas Eve. It's for this reason that they've decided to file a lawsuit with the Council against you for negligence."

"What…?" Jack gasped.

"Of course they want to file a lawsuit," Tivona chimed in. "What happens when someone rich and powerful has an accident that indirectly involves you? You get them to pay you off, of course."

"I understand that the affected party, Miss Dolores Campbell, is living here in Halloween Town now, is that correct?" Felix continued, disregarding the Queen. That didn't stop her from interjecting once more, however.

"That's right, and she's _Mrs_. Dolores Clearwater, now, so I suspect these sisters won't have much of a leg to stand on, given she's technically not part of their family anymore."

Felix's eyebrows rose as he began filling out a document that Jack had difficulty reading from his side of the desk.

"Is she now?" the elf said bemusedly. "Well, that should certainly make things interesting. In any case, she will still be summoned to the castle for her testimony."

"When will the hearing take place, Mr. Darrow?" Jack felt compelled to ask, unpleasantly surprised as he was.

"Excellent question, your majesty. The twelfth of the next month, it looks like. I expect that will work for the both of you?"

"Does it really matter?" Tivona asked flatly. "It's not as if it's going to be changed if we say no."

Felix laughed again, though there was something akin to irritation now present in his tone.

"No, I suppose you're right about that, your highness."

After getting Jack to sign some papers, Felix swiftly and graciously bowed out of the room and back to his reportedly very busy job of being a Holiday Council representative. The moment he was out of sight, Jack collapsed back into his office chair.

"This is not good," he sighed, bereft of anything to say other than the obvious.

Tivona sniffed and shook her head, the majority of her attentions still on her nails. "They just want money, Jack, of which you have plenty."

"It's not about that. It's about the implications this case will leave. Sure, I can pay them off and the issue will be closed, but not in the minds of the beings who were there that night, or who heard about it by word of mouth. I certainly wasn't too intoxicated to remember the looks of utter disdain shot at me, or the allegations that I'm a neglectful leader. It certainly doesn't bode well, considering, especially, my personal history…"

The Halloween Queen rolled her violet eyes once more and abandoned her desk chair in favor of poking idly at the dwindling embers in the fire place.

"Please, Jack, don't be so fatalistic. You've sent a militia to help Easter Town out with its spider invasion. That's bound to earn you _some _brownie points with that pain-in-the-ass Council."

Jack nodded, considering the point.

"Besides, I'm sure you'll be in good hands with Lord Belvoir," she added, focusing on the orange glow before her in the hopes that her face –and knowing smirk- would be obscured from his view. "I understand that he's quite the capable leader."

"You're probably right, my love. I'm just feeling a bit worried, I suppose."

Jack then also left his desk and began wandering towards the large glass doors that led out onto a side balcony.

"I think I just need some fresh air. Please excuse me a moment."

He then stepped out into the blistering cold, overcast afternoon, shutting the doors firmly behind him as though to remind his wife –and anyone else concerned- that he needed this time alone. She hadn't planned on interfering with that, however, which made the gesture rather unnecessary.

"Jack!" came Seraphina's unsettlingly chipper tone. "Jack! There's some mail for you here!"

Tivona shot up quickly from where she was bent over the fireplace and rushed to intercept the happy young vampiress at the door.

"Keep your voice down!" she whispered sharply as Seraphina nearly collided into her. "Jack is _trying _to have some introspective time out on the balcony and he doesn't need to hear your harpy squeal rattling throughout the castle."

Seraphina, having begun to rapidly lose patience, simply grit her teeth and hissed through them, "Yes, mam."

"And from now on, I want you to deliver the mail straight to me, do you understand? Jack has enough to worry about as it is."

Seraphina nodded obediently, desperately fighting the urge to do something drastic. Tivona didn't see any sign of this, however, as she soon turned her back to the door to inspect the collection of letters. She didn't bother to give her the go-ahead to leave, but Seraphina did anyway, concerned as she was with her sudden impulse to inflict great harm on the woman before her.

Tivona, meanwhile, searched through the bundle frantically, looking for a specific name. When she found it, she wasted no time in ripping the whole thing in half, then fourths, and then tossing it into the flames of the hearth.

She then poked the fire rather violently, allowing the searing little embers to come showering down on her, until she was certain that the ink scrawled name of Sally Stitches had been immolated completely.

* * *

Sally and Alistair opened the door of the house to find that Augusta, Lionel and Lotte had already arrived.

Lionel had his eyes trained on the governess as if he had been staring at the door the entire time he'd been there, waiting to send her that precise glare when she walked in.

"I am going to assume you knew nothing of this," he said from where he sat in his usual armchair, brow furrowed. "It's the only answer that makes any kind of sense to me."

"Of course I didn't know, Mr. Price! There's no way I could have. Jack hasn't been responding to any of my letters."

His eyes narrowed in confusion.

"That worries me, Miss Stitches."

"As it does me, Mr. Price, but for the time being I think we should be more concerned about the fact Lord Belvoir is here."

"I want to know _why_ he's here," Lionel pushed, struggling to stand from his armchair with the flimsy support of his cane. "Which is why I've decided to venture to Halloween Town and speak with Jack myself."

"What?" Sally gasped, almost in unison with Augusta. "Mr. Price, you can't! You're in no condition to-"

And then the knock came at the door.

Everyone in the room exchanged glances before Lionel turned back to Sally and instructed her, as calmly as possible, to take the children upstairs. She complied, having to ignore the curious glances of both siblings. As she had anticipated, the both of them launched into questions as soon as they were out of earshot of their father. It pained her to have to quell and assure them they'd be fully informed later, but not even she knew enough to provide any concrete answers.

She wasn't at all surprised to see Lord Belvoir standing in the Price living room when she arrived back downstairs, but it sent a chill through her spine nonetheless.

"Ah, there she is!" Septimus exclaimed with obviously put-on pleasantry the moment he caught sight of Sally. "I had so hoped I would get a chance to speak with you as well, Miss Stitches."

"I can't see why," Sally replied, tersely. "I don't see how I would be of much consequence to you."

Septimus smiled knowingly, his right eyebrow cocking in an unsettlingly sinister way.

"You are of greater consequence than you think, my dear, believe me. Now, why don't you all just have seat and make yourselves comfortable? Perhaps then we can speak more _civilly _instead of standing around like a bunch of scarecrows with wooden poles up our backsides."

The Prices and Sally acquiesced to the sitting, but would not relent to being comfortable, all three of them straight-backed and tense in their chairs. Septimus seemed indifferent to their passive-aggressive defiance.

"Why are you here?" Sally asked before anyone else could.

"That is an excellent question, Miss Stitches- perfect as an opening into this much-needed conversation. The answer, I think you'll find, is quite simple. The King appointed me head of the militia in his stead. The issues at home were far too cumbersome for him to leave to his lovely, if not extremely inept and pregnant Queen, and the fact this assignment might go on for some time was particularly unappealing to a father-to-be."

He said all of this with an unmistakable mocking air, taking special care to look right at Sally and insure that his reminders of Tivona's pregnancy were sinking in like salt to a wound.

"That doesn't answer my question, and you know it," Sally firmly pointed out. "I asked _why _are you here, not _how _or _what_."

Septimus chuckled under his breath. "You're very clever, Miss Stitches, very clever indeed."

He then turned his attention to the Prices before saying, "You must be very proud to have such a quick-witted nurse for your children. I can now see why you condescended to hiring one of the Halloween Town wretches. But now, it seems, you both have decided your former prejudice was both immoral and misinformed. That _must_ be it, after all. Why else would you have stopped coming to our little gatherings? Or have King Jack and his minions over for tea in your own home?"

Lionel's eyebrows were knitted together in a seemingly impermeable state, his face was growing a darker shade of crimson, and his hands were clutching the cushioned arms of his chair so tightly it looked as though he might rip off a chunk of it at any moment.

"Why don't you answer the lady's question, Septimus?" he said through gritted teeth.

"Must I, though, Lionel? Something tells me you and Augusta, nay, even Miss Stitches, already know the answer to that. Care to explain it yourself?"

Lionel looked away, fuming inwardly.

"No?" Septimus asked, amused. "I can't say I'm surprised. It must be quite painful for you, knowing you brought this upon yourself, your family, your town. I sincerely wouldn't have been able to get this far if hadn't been for you, and I think you're aware of the fact."

His sharp gaze shifted back to Sally. "Unlike Miss Stitches, of course, who has proven to be little more than a thorn in my side. But I find I have much more control over her here, so that worked out rather well for both of us, I expect."

Sally exhaled a disbelieving laugh. "I really thought you cleverer than that, Lord Belvoir. You realize the moment Jack hears about this you'll be sacked, if not under fire with the Holiday Council as well? All of your plans destroyed? I _know _it was you who planted those spider eggs here and I _know _you're not going to do a blessed thing to get rid of them so long as they give you the leverage you need in this town."

"You underestimate me, Miss Stitches!" he laughed, throwing his head back. "I was already well aware you were in the know, which may shed some light for you on the reason why good King Jack hasn't responded to any of your letters as of late- nor will he do so again in the foreseeable future. Write as many slanderous things about me as you'd like, as it's quite chilly in Halloween Town these days and my furnace has benefited from the fodder. Besides, you haven't the means to prove any of these allegations, as I'm sure you're quite aware."

Sally's eyes grew wide and she fell back somewhat into her chair, at a complete loss of anything to say.

"This _will_ be the norm for the entire town before too long." Septimus continued. "I think it only necessary to the safety and well-being of every Easter citizen that we officially cut off all communication with the other towns, as well as travel back and forth, and the Prime Minister agrees with me wholeheartedly. There was never any of this nonsense before the assimilation movement, after all, so it is only logical to revert back to the old ways of doing things. Don't you all agree?"

Perhaps unsurprisingly, no one said a word.

"So then," Septimus said after a time. "It seems we have reached an understanding, which means my business here is complete. I will just leave you all to the rest of your day."

The Vampire Lord rose from his chair and made his way towards the front door, unaccompanied by any of his hosts, who still sat immovable in the living room. Before departing completely, he turned back around and added,

"I also anticipate that one or all of you may try something drastic to oppose me, despite the rather benign limitations I've already put in place. If that is the case, do understand that you may be risking the precious lives of those two golden-haired angels that have been listening to us on the top of the staircase. I would so hate to have to sacrifice such lovely children, but it seems I am responsible for a family of spiders, an impending litter of werewolves, and a coven of fellow Vampires, all of whom would just _kill _for the tender meat they'd no doubt yield. So do consider that fact before any of you trying something exceedingly foolish and ultimately futile."

There was then a snap of fingers and the bat that remained where Septimus once stood flapped quickly and shakily out an open window in the living room, into the late morning air.

The three adults slowly turned their heads to look helplessly and, on some level, apologetically at the two quite frightened visages of Lotte and Alistair, who sat frozen in between the slats of the top of the staircase. Sally began to see, in that moment, the beginning of what was undoubtedly going to be a very difficult time for both children, one that would probably steal their wide-eyed innocence and leave them in a perpetual state of fear.

What was worse, there was nothing she, nor Lionel and Augusta could do to prevent it.

* * *

_February _

At the behest of Jack, he and Tivona arrived as early as possible to the hearing that was to take place in the Halloween Town Hall. The sky, as per usual, was overcast and the biting chill of winter hadn't yet relented, despite it being rather late in the month. Tivona's gown was perhaps more woolen and warming than it really needed to be. Jack wondered if there was some desire on her part to hide the noticeable bump that now began to protrude ever so slightly from her midsection, but she would neither confirm nor deny his suspicions.

The inner sanctum of the town hall didn't do much to relieve the cold, aside from providing relief from the harsh winds, so Jack asked Helga and Zelda –who had showed up just to watch the sparks fly- if they wouldn't mind conjuring up a fire to warm the place up a bit. Knowing this would cheese-off their alleged cousin, they graciously complied, and she was forced to reluctantly remove her concealing black mink coat and reveal her less subtle, matching-colored empire waist gown.

"Looks like it's coming along nicely," Helga cooed as she mockingly caressed Tivona's stomach.

"Hello in there!" Zelda squeaked, waving, presumably, at the forming fetus.

Tivona tightened her jaw and simply glared at the both of them, while Jack just looked on with pride. When the two witches had scampered off, he also placed a careful hand on the slight protrusion and smiled while he half-mindedly caressed it in a similar fashion to Helga.

His queen just rolled her eyes and let it happen without comment, having become accustom to his doing this on a more frequent basis. At the very least, he was less annoying about it than the Witch Sisters were. He was so unobtrusive, in fact, that she could almost pretend it wasn't happening. Still, it was not preferable to a month ago when she had nothing to show for her pregnancy and people could simply put it out of their minds and leave her alone. She did not like being reminded of the fact.

"Have you thought of any names?" he asked, catching her off guard.

_Hell no,_ she answered mentally.

"How could I? We don't even know what the gender is."

Jack shrugged. "We could think of possibilities for both, couldn't we?"

She tried her hardest not to let her annoyance show. "I suppose, dear. I'm guessing you've given the matter some thought?"

"As a matter of fact, I have!" he replied, brightening. "I wanted to run them by you at some point to see what you thought. I guess while we're waiting for the hearing to start is as good a time as any. So, you know how there are certain girls named after flowers? Well, I thought, why not name a girl _Poinsettia_? You know, after the iconic Yuletide plant."

Tivona's face morphed into a mélange of disgust, incredulity and puzzlement.

"Poinsettia Skellington? Are you-" She cut herself off before she could question his seriousness, as it was a dumb question with an obvious answer. "Nevermind. I honestly _can't wait_ to hear your idea for a boy."

"Wenceslas!" he exclaimed proudly.

Tivona sighed, no longer willing or able to hide her irritation. "_Jack_, I can't even pronounce that, and I highly doubt _he_ will be able to either. Seriously, am I giving birth to a Halloween Town native or a Christmas Town elf?"

Jack's face fell.

"I just thought I could honor my second favorite holiday, that's all. Besides, I don't see you coming up with any great ideas."

"Trust me, mon cheri," Tivona scoffed. "I will gladly think of a hundred names you can choose before Poinsettia or Wenceslas or any other equally ridiculous and not-so-subtle homage to Christmas."

Before Jack could protest further, the sight of the Firecracker Sisters entering the building and glaring fixedly at him while they seated themselves on the farthest opposite end of the room distracted him from finishing his thought. He could only bow his head in shame, wishing there was something he could do to right what had gone wrong.

As if on cue with that thought, Dolores Clearwater wandered in as unsuspectingly as possible. The effort was rather in vain, as every being in the room had their eyes trained on her. She kept her head down and her walking swift, presumably so that she could arrive at her seat without having to fully admit to herself that she was the freak of the hour.

It made Jack feel even worse to realize that Dolores had probably at one time been quite welcoming and appreciative towards attention being lavished on her. She had been a performer, after all, and he could think of nothing more rewarding for someone in that profession. Now, however, it was clearly the last thing in the world she wanted from anyone and she could thank the irresponsible King of Halloween for that.

Acting completely on impulse, Jack made to rise from his seat and go over and apologize profusely to both the sisters and Dolores and ask if there was anything at all he could do to rectify the situation. He couldn't just be expected to sit here and watch them helplessly, could he? But his wife's stilling hand on his arm seemed to say that it was _exactly_ what was expected of him.

"Don't you dare, Jack. Don't even think about it."

He obediently complied and sat back down, but he could not be compelled to look elsewhere, no matter how terrible it made him feel.

That was, until the trumpet fanfare signaling the arrival of the council caught his attention. Perhaps knowing full-well there would be vampires in attendance, they arrived this time not in brightened splendor, but from a dark, swirling void. Then again, Jack thought, perhaps this was to be indicative of their moods, as not once face among them seemed at all pleased. Mother Nature, even, was sending the Halloween King that reprehensive glare of disappointment that all mothers give their children when they've behaved badly.

As the council seated themselves in chairs varying in height (Mother Nature at the highest and most towering), Felix Darrow also jumped from the void and scrambled over to the corner seat with a typewriter, apparently in charge of recording the entire exchange. Jack wasn't sure he liked the idea of that, but he let the concern leave his mind as there was nothing he could do to prevent it.

"The Holiday Council and associated parties will confer today on the incident that occurred on the night of December 24th in Halloween Town proper," Father Time croaked, reading directly from a piece of parchment. "According to the witnesses present, Miss Dolores Campbell of Independence Day Town, now Mrs. Dolores Clearwater of Halloween Town, was attacked by a werewolf of uncertain identity. Her sisters, Molly Campbell, Milly Campbell, and Beverly Campbell have chosen to press charges of negligence on King Jack Skellington in response to this incident. Do you corroborate this information, Campbell sisters?"

The three women nodded fervently. Jack noticed at that moment that two of them were obviously twins and the third, the same who yelled at him on Christmas Eve, was clearly the eldest of the bunch and the brains of the operation.

"King Jack Skellington," Father Time said almost accusingly. "How do you plead to these charges?"

He froze a moment, completely unprepared for this question and what the wisest plan of action would be. The entire room had their eyes fixed on him as he stalled, the most intimidating of these being those of the eldest Firecracker sister.

The somewhat familiar sensation of Tivona squeezing his hand momentarily stole his focus and he heard her barely whisper, "_Guilty_".

Realizing that she was entirely right and that most convicts in the murder mysteries he read got a less weighty sentence if they admitted their guilt, he promptly repeated this to the council as a response. He knew he was responsible for Horace's escape in any case. To this, most of the room gasped, but not the eldest sister, who seemed more unpleasantly surprised than anything else.

"Very well," said Father Time. "King Jack Skellington pleads guilty to the charge of negligence. Will the Campbell sisters now, _concisely_, recount their experience on the night of the 24th and the situation as they understand it?"

There was a stirring in the room as the eldest of the bunch unsurprisingly stood to speak. Her sharp green eyes had left Jack and were now seemingly glaring at the council themselves, instead. He doubted even they would fault her for this, however, as she oozed this indefinable sense of confidence and self-assurance that seemed to rob breath from the room as a whole. She was also quite tall and strikingly pretty, almost in a frightening sense, and she cut the sort of figure that no one would readily oppose without a wish to be harmed.

"Certainly, Father," she replied, her terse, deep voice echoing off the walls. "On the night of December 24th, King Jack Skellington was hosting a Holiday-wide Christmas party here in Halloween Town. Being that every Holiday Town was invited, my sisters and I decided to take the night off from practicing and go have a good time. We _did _enjoy ourselves for a good while, at least until Molly realized that Dolores had not yet returned from getting us something to drink-"

"How long had Dolores been gone?" Selene, the female personification of the moon, interrupted her to ask.

The eldest sister seemed a bit put-off by the interruption, but she obediently answered, "About 15 minutes, unusual for Dolores or any normal being, I'd imagine," before continuing onward.

"At any rate, we realized she had been gone an inordinate amount of time and decided to go looking for her. _That's_ when we found she had been attacked and maimed on the edge of the town square."

"You mention in your written statement that she had been attacked and maimed by a _werewolf_," Father Time pointed out. "Yet you did not actually see one attack her?"

The eldest shook her head, still cool as a cucumber despite the discrepancy. "No, sir, no one did. However, if you look at the examination papers filled out by Dr. Finkelstein after the attack, you will see that he is quite convinced it was werewolf that did it. Furthermore, there is the fact that Dolores is now a werewolf herself, possible only by a direct bite from another."

Father Time waved his hand at her dismissively. "Yes, thank you, Miss Campbell, we are all quite aware of that. Please briefly explain how King Jack Skellington is to be implemented in this incident."

The eldest pursed her full, bright-red lips, the irritation now visibly brewing inside of her, before meeting Jack's stare. He was gazing at her expectantly, perhaps almost pleadingly, and she seemed to get some sadistic pleasure from the fact.

Now smiling deviously she explained, "There were only two werewolves in Halloween Town at the time of the attack- Mr. Fridolf Helsing and Mr. Horace Clearwater. The former of the two I can personally stand witness for, as I saw him in proximity to me the entire time Dolores was gone. Mr. Clearwater, on the other hand, who is now my sister's husband, is a well-known town convict. He has quite an extensive record of infractions on file and no method of punishment seemed sufficient enough to stop him. King Jack's final response to the issue was to simply banish Mr. Clearwater to the outskirts of town. The werewolf was literally bound by nothing but the hope that he would be sufficiently distracted to not want to bother the town ever again. As you can see, Father Time, this method of punishment and imprisonment was exceedingly ineffective and King Jack did absolutely nothing to protect his guests, who would inarguably prove more interesting than whatever Mr. Clearwater had to distract himself with in isolation. Simply put, King Jack is responsible for Mr. Horace Clearwater and all of his criminals, which is why he is responsible for what happened to our sister."

Having finished this, she sat down triumphantly. There had been no applause of any kind to meet the end of her statement, but something about her satisfied demeanor seemed to say that she had heard it regardless.

Father Time then turned to where Jack and Tivona sat and, as Jack anticipated, asked him to recount _his _version of the story.

"Miss Campbell is correct in the fact that I was hosting a holiday-wide Christmas Party," he began, trying to hide his nervousness. "We had invited every being from every town. I had simply been enjoying myself, as the sisters themselves were, before I was pulled aside by the Mayor and brought over to the area where Mrs. Clearwater had been attacked."

"And what was your initial response to this incident?" Father Time asked.

Jack blanked. He remembered doing absolutely nothing. There had been a lot of activity, to be sure; Victor had jumped in front of him and managed to extract him from the situation and Septimus had seemingly taken control of the crisis itself before he could do anything. Of course, it didn't help that he was especially intoxicated at the time.

"I…" he began tentatively. "I daresay I was a bit too overwhelmed-"

"He did _nothing_." The eldest interrupted, to which the crowd responded with gasps and murmurs of heightened volume.

Father Time viciously banged his gavel and demanded order before rounding on the eldest Firecracker Sister.

"Miss Campbell, you will speak only when prompted to!"

"Is this true, Jack?" Mother Nature ventured despite the raucous activity, her voice soft and disbelieving.

As much as he wished he could tell her it wasn't, he knew as well as anyone else present at the time that it wouldn't be the truth. It would also certainly be a cold day in Independence Day Town before he lied to her, of all beings.

"Yes…it's true." Jack admitted, to which the whispers re-emerged. Feeling indignant, he argued desperately, "But there wasn't time for me to act! Lord Belvoir responded to the crisis more readily than I could!"

"Then maybe Lord Belvoir would make a better King than you!" someone in the audience of witnesses shouted.

Father Time was once again demanding order and silence. The fervor mostly fell on deaf ears as far as Jack was concerned, as he was far too perturbed by what had just been said to him. He was further discouraged by the way in which Mother Nature shook her head and turned away from him, clearly disappointed by his poor display of leadership.

As soon as silence and order had been regained, Father Time summarized the developments thus far.

"So it is to be understood that King Jack Skellington did _nothing _in his immediate response to the incident. Can we assume the same about the investigation for a perpetrator?"

"There wasn't much we could do in that regard," Jack explained sheepishly. "Mrs. Clearwater escaped before we could do any sort of DNA test. She, herself, has never pressed charges. Without certain crucial elements it's impossible to convict a specific-"

"Oh sure," the eldest cut in. "Blame the _victim_ for your poor leadership, why don't you?"

Jack didn't get a chance to rally back at her before Father Time was once again demanding that she not speak out of turn, lest the entire case be thrown out. Jack hoped in some part of himself that he'd say something else to get her going, just so Father Time could make good on the threat. Unfortunately, the eldest had sat back in her seat with a sense of reluctant, but determined resignation. She was in it to win, clearly, and wasn't about to let all of this go so easily.

The next hour or so consisted of various witnesses taking the stand to report their own interpretations of what happened. Some of them were rather long-winded in their reports and from the way Father Time continuously checked his watch, it was clear that this part of the trial was taking up much more time than he would have preferred (and from the way Tivona kept nodding off, it was apparent her feelings on the situation were much the same).

None of the stories reported differed greatly from those of the eldest Firecracker sister and Jack, respectively, but a few beings were sure to vocalize their intense distaste for Jack and his methods. Many of them made it quite clear they felt he was a lazy, incompetent oaf, incapable of ruling over a pile of dirt, much less an entire holiday. The Pumpkin King could only sit and listen quietly, as well as inwardly fume and alternate between being exceedingly ashamed and extremely angry.

Finally, the string of witnesses came to an end and the council took an especially brief moment to whisper among themselves before Father Time addressed the room as a whole.

"Having taken all of the elements into consideration, we, the Holiday Council, find King Jack Skellington to be guilty of negligence in regards to the attack on Mrs. Dolores Clearwater, the night of December 24th in Halloween Town. He will now owe the Campbell sisters the financial compensation of the amount they had requested and he will also, from this moment, be on a tentative probationary sentence."

Father Time banged the gavel with finality and the various beings in the room rose to leave, all of whom seemed reasonably pleased with this outcome. None, however, were so enthusiastic as the three Campbell sisters, who were currently jumping around and squealing triumphantly at their success.

* * *

Dolores, eager to welcome back her sisters from the moment she saw them in the room, quickly jumped up from her lone seat and made her way over excitedly.

As she observed them, all three visibly happy in their success, she fully realized the extent of her love. It didn't matter that they had abandoned her in Halloween Town that night, that they had left her to the mercy of her wretched, werewolf husband simply because they could not 'envision' her dancing alongside them now as she was. It didn't matter that she had felt betrayed and heartbroken for weeks on end or that, even now, remnants of that pain lingered.

She could forgive it all because they were her sisters. The four of them shared memories that no amount of back-stabbing could ever erase. She could never forget the endless afternoons they had spent, running up and down the beaches of Independence Day Town, swinging in the hanging tire on the oak tree outside their house, baking fruit pies with mom to take to the Independence Day celebrations in the thick of summer. None of it she could throw out, no matter how much she may have wanted to.

And because she loved her three sisters so fiercely, she allowed herself to think that their pressing charges had been done to avenge her somehow, to achieve some kind of justice for the freedom that had been stolen from her. Perhaps, even, they had rethought their decision about taking her back. Perhaps, they were going to take her home.

Bubbling with the excitement that these rather optimistic thoughts had brewed, Dolores skipped over and hugged them all tightly, following this with a kiss on the cheek for each sister.

"I've missed you all so much," she said, on the verge of tears. "But I knew you'd all come back for me, one way or another. I miss my home. I miss all of you. I can't wait to go back. It'll be as if nothing ever happened, I know it."

Molly, Milly, and the eldest, Beverly, looked at her incredulously.

"What's gotten into you?" Beverly asked, almost scoffing.

Dolores blinked, trying to rid herself of the tears that were now pushing out of her eyelids. "Nothing! I'm just happy to see you all again, and I'm happy to be going home. That's why you've come back and done all of this, right?"

The twins exchanged glances of discomfort.

"Dolores," Beverly said softly, placing a patronizing hand on her shoulder. "You know as well as we do that we did this for the money. We're in desperate need of it, as I'm sure aware, and your little _accident _provided an excellent opportunity for us to get the amount we needed. But the good news is that we now have enough to pay for new costumes, new set pieces, rent-"

"Okay, that's fine," Dolores interrupted, not interested in being beaten over the head with the fact that her sisters were not acting out some kind of familial loyalty to her. "I know you needed money, and I'm glad I could help out…in a way. But please, please tell me you're going to take me away from here. I understand if you don't want me to dance anymore, that's fine, I can deal with that. Just…please don't leave me…"

Beverly sighed rather loudly and rolled her eyes. "Don't be absurd, Dolly. We can't bring a _werewolf _back to Independence Day Town. Have you no concept of how irresponsible that would be? You might kidnap and eat children or something…"

Dolores gasped. "I would never-"

"In your wolf state, I mean. It's just not practical. Certainly you must realize that."

Dolores faltered, realizing then that it all was as she feared.

"So…I am to understand that you neither came back to defend, nor to rescue me from this godforsaken place and that it was all simply in the interest of money…is that it?"

The silence of the three, coupled with Beverley's familiar 'come at me' stare seemed to say that she was correct.

"Do I really mean so little to all of you? Does the fact that I'm your sister mean nothing?"

Beverly hiked her purse handle up on her shoulder before placing hands on Molly and Milly to direct them towards the exit.

"You're clearly in no state to discuss this reasonably, Dolores. Try thinking of someone other than yourself for once and perhaps then you'll realize why we must do this."

The three then marched out the door of the town hall, heels clacking against the hardwood floor mockingly. Dolores put a hand over her face to disguise her tears and whisked out the back exit as quickly as she could, hoping direly that no one had seen.

* * *

Tivona couldn't help but watch and listen as the scene unfolded between the werewolf and her sisters.

'Stupid girl,' she thought as Dolores' face fell. 'As if it wasn't completely obvious…'

She was certain Dolores was an idiot, a fool for making the mistake of thinking her sisters would never betray her, simply because they were her _sisters_. She mentally scoffed at her as much as she could, hoping that it might somehow convince her she was smarter.

But how could that be true when she had been in Dolores' position before? How could she pride herself on being wiser or cleverer when she had also invested blind faith in a backstabbing sister?

She could because she knew better now- that, at least, was true. But it didn't absolve her of the fact that he had done it, that she'd been foolish enough to think that loving and protecting someone their entire lives would insure their mutual loyalty.

At the very least, it was a mistake she had promised herself she'd never make again. The pact was only strengthened by the sight of Dolores' being abandoned once more by her siblings and slinking out of the room in tears.

Tivona would never be that pathetic, not with the knowledge she had now.

Eventually, Jack slunk back into her peripheral from getting personally berated by the Holiday Council, interrupting her introspection. She sat up straighter, masquerading as though she'd been alert the entire time.

"What did they say?" she asked, more out of obligation than curiosity.

Jack's downcast expression seemed to explain it all, but he still offered the answer of, "Nothing good. They're extremely discouraged with me, as is everyone else."

She'd never seen him so obviously sad or ashamed, and Jack had never been the type to withhold any feelings. She came dangerously close to feeling sorry for him in that instance, but quickly pulled herself from the edge.

"Let's go home," she said, standing from her seat and putting her coat on. "I'm extremely tired."

Jack nodded unenthusiastically, took her arm, and led her back out into the freezing chill.


	25. Chapter 23 March to Early August

_Ch. 23- March to Early August_**  
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**A/N- **This chapter isn't as super exciting as I hoped it would be, but it does help to further the plot a long nicely. I'm hoping that our next installment will have some more ground breaking developments that I couldn't fit into this one. Sorry for the wait, though! I'm going to do my best to keep updates regular and frequent, but since I'm going to school, working, and planning my wedding, I'm not sure how much expendable time I'll have. This story remains my one true love and ideal way to spend my time/energy, so I'm pretty sure I'll carve out the time needed. =)

**Disclaimer- **I'll just let you guys know when I've got the rights to TNBC, okay? Spoiler Alert- That will never happen. =)

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March-May

The screaming would sometimes go on for hours, depending on the severity. Sally was by no means unfamiliar or uncomfortable with the sound of shrieking and never had been, but there was something so unsettling about Lotte's.

For as long as Sally had been with the Prices, Lotte had always been a sound sleeper, especially in comparison to her brother. Often, she'd be fast asleep before her head even hit the pillow, whereas Alistair usually needed a story or song to drift off to. But neither child ever had the problem of night terrors- until recently.

Of course, the source of these wasn't exactly a mystery to anyone concerned. The end of February and the beginning of March had seen an influx in the spider population, as well as an increase in their daring behavior. They now roamed the town and grounds rather freely, barely perturbed by any sort of repellent put in place. Their hunger had reached a critical point and more and more Easter Town citizens began to go missing. Some, even, were being attacked and carted off in the broad light of day.

Unsurprisingly to Sally and her employers, the militia was doing seldom little to stop any of it, save for keeping the downtown area enclosed by the fortress safe, and this was probably because Septimus' current living quarters were located within. It also wasn't hard to deduce why this was happening- Septimus was continuing to use the spiders to his advantage, to make the citizens so afraid and desperate and dire that they would acquiesce to any of his demands to allegedly help clear the town. No matter how ineffective the militia was proving to be, Easter Town was too helpless to refuse their services. To many, this was their last hope.

But for Sally and the Prices, there was little to no hope at all. Acting out too boldly to any of Septimus' plans would mean risking the lives of the children. The Vampire Lord, it seemed, had been especially adept at pin-pointing their weak-spot and, thus, had them in a rather tight chokehold. He was much cleverer than Sally had previously thought and that knowledge alone frightened her.

Nevertheless, she was determined to stay strong for the sake of the children. _Someone _had to soothe Lotte's screams, after all, and she was getting rather adept at doing it in a timely fashion. Cuddling her and petting her head seemed to do the trick, and when she finally managed to get her back to sleep from the most recent nightmare, Sally crept out of the room and back downstairs. There would be a pseudo sense of peace, at least for the rest of this night in particular.

She then joined the Prices in the living room, where Augusta kept herself busy knitting (and, presumably, her mind off the fact that her daughter was in such pain) and Lionel appeared to be studying the most recent town newspaper they had received. It was at least a week old, thanks to their location so far from town and from the various delivery agents being too afraid to venture out that way if it looked too treacherous. Still, the side that Sally could see stood as testament to the most recent political events- propaganda in favor of Lord Septimus' policies as a leader and acting head of Easter Town, propaganda against Jack Skellington -most of which called him the 'The King of _Rotten _Pumpkins' and depicted him sitting in a patch of mildewed, decaying pumpkins with a dunce crown and a bent, wooden scepter-, and a front headline about the holiday festivities being postponed in St. Patrick's Day town due to unexpected swarms of blood-sucking bats.

It wasn't hard to see that Septimus was entertaining plans of holiday-wide dominance and that no town would be spared from similar treatment.

"Did she go down alright?" Augusta asked, clearly fighting to maintain her chipper attitude despite it all.

Sally nodded. "It took some doing, as usual, but we managed."

Augusta and Lionel were then silent a moment, and Sally somehow knew it was a mutual, simultaneous effort in favor of having to tell her something drastic. She looked between both of them expectantly, wondering when it was going to be broken.

"Sally," Augusta began, tentatively. "Lionel and I have been talking."

Her blue eyes then fluttered towards him, as if to cue his line. Clearly, this had been rehearsed and planned by them both. Lionel pretended, only for a moment, to be encumbered by his newspaper but he eventually gave it up when neither woman's gaze would leave him.

"Yes, that's correct Miss Stitches. We _have _been talking…about the children, specifically."

Sally's eyes widened a little, but she was too eager for an explanation to interrupt.

"We've decided it's become too dangerous for them here." he continued. "The both of us feel the wisest plan of action is to relocate them to the inner town."

The governess was unable to speak for a moment, too confused and taken back to create any coherent thoughts, much less say them aloud.

"We would, of course, like for you to go with them," Augusta added. "We've already arranged to purchase a flat for you all. We promise there will be plenty of room for the three of you, and I can have it decorated and furnished for when you all arrive."

Despite Augusta's best efforts to derail Sally towards the more pleasant aspect of this idea, she could not part herself from the sheer absurdity of it all.

"Wait…they can't- they shouldn't be away from you both! You can't just _uproot _them like this at a moment's notice! Can't you see they're both traumatized enough as it is? How much worse do you think it'll be for them if they're taken away from their parents?"

"It's _not safe _here, Miss Stitches," Lionel reiterated firmly. "Or have you not had a glance outside, lately? The children can't so much step foot out there without risking their lives. At the very least, they'll be able to get some fresh air without the threat of being eaten. You and I both know the militia won't let any of those creatures get close to their beloved Lord Belvoir. As ironic as it seems, the closer the children are to him, the safer they are."

"And speaking of which, what will _he _make of all of this? Have you thought about that?"

"I don't think he'll mind," came Augusta's meek voice. "We're not directly opposing him in any way, after all."

Lionel nodded. "He has far more important things to concern himself with, like taking complete control of the holidays."

Sally began to protest again, but Lionel was having none of it.

"I'm afraid this isn't up for discussion. The children are going downtown and you will either accompany them or we will find a place to house them- that, alone, is up to you."

He swiftly returned to his paper, indicating rather blatantly that anything Sally said from then on would be ignored. She desperately turned to Augusta, hoping there would some opening for an appeal to reason, but there was none at all. Augusta had refocused on her sewing and seemed to be fighting not to look back at her.

* * *

The peaceful silence of her solemn afternoon was broken by an unexpected knock at the door.

She was startled when she first heard it, then a bit indignant, then slightly frightened. Who would be requesting a visit and why? Why did they have to choose the one time of day she got alone, when her husband was away doing who-knew-what?

She almost didn't answer it at all, but a dangerously powerful wave of curiosity got the better of her.

"Good afternoon, Mrs. Clearwater."

The opened door revealed none other than the skeleton king, looking extremely down-trodden and apologetic with an array of dying flowers clutched to his chest. Exceedingly skeptical, she could think of nothing to say aside from,

"Is there something I can do for you, your majesty?"

"As a matter of fact, there is," he replied with a nod. "I was hoping you could grant me just a moment of your time."

She didn't have the heart to turn him away, and so she stepped aside and motioned for him to come in to what small space the tumble-down shack had to offer. The two then seated themselves on opposite sides of the cramped living room, Jack in a rotting wooden chair and Dolores on the equally as dog-eared couch, and she purposefully neglected to offer him a beverage as she had none anyway and wanted to get his visit over with as soon as possible.

"First and foremost," he began, extending the unattractive arrangement to her. "I want to offer my most sincere apologies."

Dolores was neither ignorant nor obtuse. She knew better than to think that the skeleton was being insincere. At the same time, however, she was tired and hurt and furious and he was an easy target.

"Is that all you have to say?"

Jack blinked. "I…I don't under-"

"Do you think an _apology _and hideous bouquetis supposed to make up for everything? For the fact that my sisters abandoned me? That I'm stuck here in this awful place with an abusive, domineering husband that I didn't want in the first place, all because you couldn't be bothered to take more preventive measures? What about the fact that I turn into a dog every time there's a full moon? Is an _apology _supposed to right all of that?"

"Absolutely not!" he quickly corrected her, his voiced pained. "I entertain no delusions of that, I promise you."

"Well, I'm not about to just _forgive _you," she spat. "If hadn't been for your laziness, I wouldn't be in this situation right now."

He nodded fervently. "I couldn't agree more, Mrs. Clearwater. I acknowledge this as yet another one of my huge mistakes."

She crossed her arms over her chest in frustrated indignation. It was cathartic to yell at him, despite the fact that he was a King, despite the fact that he was clearly apologetic and remorseful for what had happened, despite the fact that he seemed like a well-meaning skeleton at the heart of things. It probably wasn't fair that his evident remorse was partially what spurred her on, but then again, it probably wasn't fair that she had been turned into a monster.

"I honestly don't know why you're here," she said after a time. "I don't know what in the world you hoped you would accomplish."

"Actually…I had hoped I could help you somehow."

She rounded on him, her eyes widened in disbelief. "And how do you expect to do that?"

Jack then pulled out a folded up piece of paper from his inner pocket. As he opened it he said, "If you'll bear with me, Mrs. Clearwater, I have a few ideas."

Somewhat unconsciously, Dolores scooted closer to the edge of the sofa to get a better look at his list. She couldn't even begin to imagine what would be within his power to accomplish that might actually benefit her.

"Escape?"

"Not possible," she replied, unimpressed. "Besides, I've already given the matter plenty of thought. If I go to another part of town, he'll just track me and take me back. I can't go to another town completely, I'm a werewolf. I'd just be considered a public menace and thrown back in here within a short matter of time. Anyway, there's also the rather complicated matter of my pregnancy."

Jack seemed to forget about the list entirely.

"You're pregnant?"

"Four weeks along, or so I'm told."

He was clearly conflicted, perhaps wondering whether he should offer his congratulations or condolences. Dolores loudly cleared her throat, eager for him to continue.

Brought out of his reverie, he continued onward. "What if I was to contain Horace? A cage? An enchanted lock of some kind?"

She contemplated the thought for a moment, gradually realizing that he might have actually come upon a workable idea.

"If there was some way I could control him…" she said slowly. "Some way I could bind him and force him to obey whatever I told him to do…he likes to push me around, but I think with the right device I might be able to turn the tables on him."

Jack smiled, pleased that he had arrived at a plausible scenario.

"I'll have a talk with the doctor," he said. "The witch sisters too. One of them is bound to come up with something that could allow you that power over him. Heaven knows he deserves it any case."

"It will hardly make up for what has happened," she was sure to remind him. "But, at the very least, I may regain some semblance of independence and dignity."

Jack nodded, and then exhaled rather generously as though to indicate relief as he stood from the chair.

"I'm glad we could reach a workable compromise, Mrs. Clearwater. I'll be sure to keep you in touch with any developments."

She nodded, gave him a wan smile, and then ushered him out as politely as possible.

At the very least, her alone time became that much more enjoyable with the knowledge that she would soon gain the upper-hand.

* * *

Lounging in the apartment with a card game while the warm spring air filtered in through the windows would have constituted for a pleasant evening, if it hadn't been for the wailing. True, it was somewhat muffled by the walls in between, but that didn't lessen the annoyance by much.

"I'm really sorry, you guys," Seraphina sheepishly apologized to her two playmates for what had to have been the 10th time that evening. "If there was something I could do to stop it, I would, but usually with this sort of thing you just have to let her ride it out. Or pass out in exhaustion. That _does _happen sometimes."

Victor, being able to tell how truly concerned Seraphina was despite her efforts to repress it, gave her a sympathetic smile.

"We've already told you it's perfectly alright. And I know your mother will be just fine, she just needs the proper amount of time to grieve."

Ziggy, on the other hand, dramatically rolled her eyes and flicked a bit of the ash off the end of her cigarette in disgust.

"I don't get why she's so choked up about this," she scoffed. "They've been livin' apart for five months now and it's not like he ever gave a damn about it, anyway. Personally, I'd be surprised the divorce papers came this late."

Victor sent the mummy a glare of disapproval for being so insensitive, but she pretended she didn't see it. Seraphina, meanwhile, nodded her head in agreement.

"Yes, I know," she said with a sigh. "But mama's never been exactly reasonable about things. I guess I come by that trait honestly."

Because Seraphina was staring primarily down at the table, she didn't see Ziggy nod her head in annoyed agreement or Victor unconsciously smile at her, slightly endeared. That was perhaps for the best of everyone involved.

"Well, this has just been a _charmin' _evening so far and I'd just love to stay and shoot the breeze with the accompaniment of your mother's angst, but I gotta go get some fresh air. See you kids around."

Ziggy said this as she rose from the table, grabbed her purse and keys, and made her hasty way to and out the door. Victor felt like that development had been rather imminent, given her growing irritation with the situation as a whole.

But noticing that his friend across the table was pretty apathetic to the whole thing and seemed to be on another planet, mentally, his attention soon refocused itself.

"Is everything alright, Sera?" he asked softly. "You haven't quite been yourself lately. You seem distracted…er- more than you usually are, that is."

She shook her head and looked at him in awe, as though having just snapped out of trance.

"Hmm? Oh, I'm perfectly fine! Don't you worry about little ol' me."

Her suddenly chipper tone was nothing if not obviously forced and fabricated. This was furthered by the fact that she then got up and began tending to the dishes, as her nervous tic happened to be making herself sporadically busy.

"To be perfectly frank, I think we've been friends too long for us to pretend that I believe you now."

_That _slowed Seraphina's movements, if only marginally.

"Come now," he continued. "Tell me what's really bothering you."

She sighed, long and deep, preparing to access the more negative part of herself that she abhorred so much.

"Things have just been…very stressful lately…"

It was indisputably the understatement of the year, and they both knew it.

"Work has been insane, as you know. Jack's unpopularity is through the roof. We get more angry calls and letters every day than I know what to do with, not to mention that it's putting _him _in an impossibly sour mood. After all of _that_, I have to come home and deal with…that."

She flailed her arm in the general direction of her mother's bedroom while Victor rose to try a casual lean on the counter in front of her.

"I just…feel like tearing my hair out sometimes, you know?" she said rather maniacally, tugging on fistfuls of her thick black hair to reinforce the point.

He placed a tentative hand on her arm in an effort to bring in some calm.

"There's no need for that, I assure you. I'm sure things will straighten out soon enough."

She shook her head, forcing a smile. "I guess we'll see, won't we?"

He sighed and allowed her to continue on with her dish-cleaning unhindered while he took a moment to ponder. All of the negative hype surrounding Jack had been worrying him and for more than just the obvious reasons; the question of what was possibly behind it all disturbed him the most. It was, of course, impossible to disregard the fact that Jack had been repeatedly finding himself in hot water, but Victor simply didn't believe that was the root cause of the issue. Something had to have been perpetuating the negativity.

"What do you think could be behind it all?" he asked after a time.

She stopped her dish-cleaning to look at him with wide eyes, larger than they usually were- which was saying something.

"You don't think it's strange that all of this really kicked off after my father _volunteered _himself to head up the militia?"

"You suspect him?" he guessed.

"Of course I do. He's ambitious and cunning and the idea of him taking over a militia just to help someone out is laughable. He knew I'd think that, I'm sure, which is what scares me. Obviously I'm of no threat to him, even with what I know."

Victor ruminated on this for a moment before saying, "So…you don't think it will be a simple matter of telling Jack what's going on and having him pull your father out?"

She shook her head, laughing tiredly. "No way. Besides, he's already convinced the town that communication, travel and transport between Easter Town and the others needs to be cut off completely. There would be no way for Jack to do anything, even if we told him our suspicions."

"Clever." Victor said woefully.

"He's not one to take lightly, that much I can promise."

"Well, we have to do _something_. We can't just stand-by and watch this all unfold."

Seraphina nodded. "Oh I agree completely! But I'm running dry on ideas. If we're going to attempt anything, we can't lose sight of my father's craftiness. He's always been one step ahead."

"But if he's cut off all communication with the towns, he won't know what's going on in ours, will he?" Victor offered, brightening. "Perhaps he's done himself in!"

Seraphina looked at him skeptically.

"I'm sure he's got that covered too, Victor."

"We have to try," he pushed. "We have to convince Jack to stand up for himself- for his sake and the town's."

She exhaled loudly, but finally relented with a conceding nod.

"You're right. No matter how hopeless it might seem, we can't just stand idly by."

"No, we can't."

They were then left to wallow in the seeming impossibility of discovering a solution.

* * *

_August_

The move itself hadn't been easy, not in any sense of the word.

When Alistair and Lotte were first told by their parents, Lotte burst into tears and threw a fit while Alistair became furious and silent for days, kicking and throwing things when he could. Sally had known this would be of more harm than good and she hoped that, maybe, the Prices would see this too and revise their plan.

But her wish had been in vain. Augusta and Lionel were firmly set on their decision and had no plans of reneging on it, no matter how convinced their children had become that their parents hated them and simply wanted them out of their lives. It wasn't anywhere near the truth, of course, but what else was a child –already marred by the horror lurking outside- supposed to think?

And so the three of them were packed up and sent off with militia escorts in early June to the sanctuary of downtown. The flat that Augusta and Lionel had purchased for them was, of course, nowhere near the size of their plantation home, but it was still rather sizable. Augusta had arranged for it to be decorated and furnished entirely, as well as filled with all of the toys and familiar comforts of home for the sake of the children.

Despite all of this, the first three weeks of life in the inner-town was a constant daily struggle. Alistair was still furious and resistant to anything and Lotte seemed intent on mirroring the behavior of her brother. Lessons were boycotted and school work was ripped up immediately after giving it to them. Fits were thrown at any given time and something would usually get destroyed in the process.

Sally knew something had to be done, and quick, so she began making a point of sitting the children down and lecturing them with the reminder that they _were_ loved, that they were here because their parents were worried about them, and that this spider issue would not last forever. Truthfully, she had trouble believing the last one herself, but she refused to fall into a pattern of fatalistic negativity, especially now when she needed to be strong for all three of them. In addition to all of this, she tightened the system of punishments and rewards, increasing them both. Eventually, her efforts seemed to pay off, as both children gradually began calming down.

It got back to the point where she could once again get through their day without fear of someone breaking down in tears or anger and ever so gradually the children began to return to their former optimistic selves. She was sure giving them plenty of outside time to run around in the town square and courtyards helped with that significantly. It was for this reason, then, that July saw a rather unexpected return to normalcy. They lived within their peaceful, weekly routine for the rest of the month and it was during this time that it seemed as if nothing could go wrong.

Sally knew she shouldn't have let herself be so blinded. She had fallen into the comforting pattern of safety and regularity and had let her guard down completely. It really was the only sensible explanation for having suddenly allowed herself to do something so completely thoughtless.

It happened one afternoon in very early August when she and the children were out shopping at the market. They had finished gathering what produce they needed and Lotte seemed intent on making a stop by the candy store on their way home. Sally was prepared to allow her this privilege as she had whisked through her lessons that morning without fuss. It was when they were on said route and having to cross through the central square that something caught Sally's eye. Truthfully, it would have been impossible to ignore it.

A young man stood on a stage –the same, in fact, that she had stood on months ago to give her lectures on giant spiders- shouting enthusiastically to a growing crowd of people at his feet.

"Lazy, irresponsible, and daft," he exclaimed. "The only three words suitable for his reign."

Intrigued, Sally made her gradual way over to hear and see a bit better. The children followed her obediently, but seemed frustrated that she had compromised their trip to the candy store. She, however, barely took any notice.

"How does _his _behavior affect us, you ask? Greatly! It is due to his irresponsibility that giant spiders -native to Halloween Town, might I add- now wander our town freely, killing and eating whoever cannot outrun them. He's a danger and a menace, taking over Holidays whenever he feels inclined!"

She was completely spell-bound now, unable to even hear the whined complaints of her charges. She was already fairly certain of who this man was referring to, but she needed to hear _him _say the name.

"King Jack is easily the worst holiday ruler of them all. The only sensible solution to this issue is to have him taken out. If you care at all about your own well-being, about that of your children or your town, you will agree with me that something has to be done to stop him!"

The raucous applause in response to this disturbed her greatly. Yes, she had known there had been a growing dislike of Jack. She wasn't blind to propaganda, after all. But _this _was obviously the result of it and it spoke of much more widespread hate than she had previously thought.

But these people didn't know Jack! They hadn't lived under him for the entirety of their existence. How could they understand that he was actually a worthy, competent ruler despite it all? Surely someone had to say something, to stand up for the truth.

And when no one did, when everyone kept applauding the slander as though it were the most accurate thing they had ever heard, Sally realized that it was going to have to be her.

"Wait!" she called out, almost unconsciously. The crowd's fervor quickly died down and heads gradually began turning around to see who had made the outcry. She quickly pushed through the crowd, not really realizing or contemplating the fact that she was leaving the children on their lonesome.

"Wait, that's not true!"

"Oh?" the young man challenged. "You disagree that Jack is an inept, selfish ruler? Well, ma'am, have you an argument that proves otherwise?"

"King Jack may have shown some irresponsibility with the Christmas debacle, granted, but he cares for his people and only has their best interest at heart. That's far more than I can say about Lord Belvoir and his militia!"

The crowd gasped, as did the young man.

"Lord Belvoir and this militia are our only hope against the spiders that _King Jack _introduced into our town! Who are you to speak ill of them?"

"Don't listen to her!" someone in the crowd shouted. "She's obviously from Halloween Town."

"But you should listen to me!" Sally protested, completely abandoning what remained of her practicality to come up on the stage beside the man. "I'm a former resident of the town, aren't I? Wouldn't I know Ja- _King _Jack best? For that matter, wouldn't I be significantly more familiar with Lord Belvoir than any of you?"

Neither the man nor the audience had any rebuttal to offer, so Sally continued on unabashed.

"King Jack is a loyal and trustworthy leader and has been for hundreds of years. He cares about every single being in our town. Let us not forget who _sent _the militia here in the first place. Yes, it was Jack! It was _he _who cared enough about all of you to send help. Lord Belvoir volunteered to head up the effort so that he could take complete control of the town. You all know from my lectures that it's not particularly difficult to take down a giant spider, especially with the amount of beings we have on our side now. No, that's not why the population has grown and things have only gotten worse. It's because your Lord is _using _it as a means to control all of you! Are you just going to stand idly by allow it to continue?"

The lot of them seemed awe-struck, murmuring intelligibly to each other in their collective uncertainty.

"What you are spouting, ma'am, is _treachery_," the young man interjected. "And as we all know, this is an arrestable offense."

The regaining of her more practical senses seemed to have come at a rather inopportune time, as there was a crowd of militia officers currently closing in on her. In her brief moment of panic before she was seized, she met the crystal blue eyes of Lotte and Alistair, both pairs filled with unmistakable fear.

She rushed to them as quick as she could, but was grabbed by both upper arms before she could reach them completely.

"Contact your parents!" she called out to them as the zombie and skeleton that had a hold on her tugged her in the opposite direction. "Tell them what's happened! And _please_ take care of your sister, Alistair!"

Lotte began to cry and wail out her governess' name, futilely reaching for her as though it might do some good. Alistair simply stared, his mouth slightly agape. Sally couldn't tell if he was sad, or on the verge of being angry or just too stunned to feel anything.

What was apparent, however, was the amount of betrayal evident in both children. Somehow _this _was infinitely worse than what Augusta and Lionel had done, likely having to do with the fact that Sally's thoughtless act had been for no one's benefit but her own and the unspoken promise between the three of them that, no matter what, she would never desert them.

Despite it all, there they stood, alone and being gradually swallowed up by the sea of Easter beings as their governess was dragged to her cell.

Once again, her regret had come far too late.


	26. Chapter 24 Late August

**A/N- **This is sort of a doozie of a chapter-lots happening, plot is moving along nicely. I'm a little surprised I was able to churn it out as quickly as I did, but I think it yielded a fairly satisfactory product. After the next chapter we're going to do a bit of a time jump, but you'll be prepared, trust me. ;) At any rate, enjoy what's here and thanks to all who continue to review and leave your thoughts with me. I love reading and considering them. If you have any criticisms/ideas, please don't hesitate to let me know. I find them immensely helpful. =)

**Disclaimer- **Burton's, et al.

* * *

_Ch. 24- Late August_

It was around mid-afternoon that they left, allowing the now very pregnant and about-as-swollen-as-a-pumpkin queen her hour or so of peace and quiet. Jack used to be resistant to this, for fear of Tivona suddenly going into labor and not having him around to help, as the baby was due at any given time.

But Zero had proven himself willing to act as an alarm system and come fetch them if anything were to happen- that is, he had been once Seraphina had promised to reward him with all of the bones he could bury. This expendable time was crucial for Jack, as both she and Victor knew, particularly if they wanted his sanity to remain intact during this rather taxing period of time.

And so the both of them, Seraphina and Jack, made a habit of getting out once or twice a week for the supposed purpose of keeping close tabs on the town. It was a great way to keep on good social terms with the townsfolk, as well as just generally get a break from the stuffy stone walls of the castle.

However, Seraphina was planning to take further advantage of their time out today than she usually did.

"Jack," she began, as the wagon bumped over the cobblestone pathway into the inner town. "You know how a lot of people don't really like you right now?"

Jack sighed rather loudly and just nodded.

"Well, Victor and I are kind of concerned about that, you see."

"I assure you that I'm plenty concerned about it too, Miss Belvoir," Jack was quick to reply, somewhat irritated. "And if I knew what was causing it or how to fix it, I can assure you I'd be pulling out all of the stops. As it stands right now, however, I'm completely clueless."

Seraphina then had to try very hard to keep what she knew to herself. She and Victor had already had the conversation about keeping the suspicions about her father under wraps until they had more information. It wouldn't do any good to tell Jack anyway, as they were nothing more than theories with no concrete evidence to back them up as fact, regardless of how confident she might have been about them.

"_Actually_, Victor and I seem to have happened upon a rather compelling idea. We think that maybe people are losing sight of how charitable you are and that maybe what we need to do is remind them!"

Jack seemed thoroughly unconvinced.

"One would think my preparing and sending in a militia to Easter Town would have accomplished that, at least somewhat."

"Yes, but I think sending in my father to head it up was a mistake…in that regard, I mean. People can't attribute it to you if _he's _there. Does that make sense?"

He considered this point for a moment, toying slightly with the reigns of the two skeleton horses.

"Yes, I suppose. So, then…what do you and Victor propose that I do?"

"_We_ think that you need to fund more charitable causes, both domestic and in other towns, but you need to be sure they're in your name so that everyone knows, without a doubt, how selfless and caring you really are!"

"Well, I'd do that with the militia, but Septimus seems to think it best that we cut off travel back and forth. The only communicating being sent in between our towns is that between him and I."

The melancholy way he reported this made Seraphina realize something.

"So…you haven't heard from Sally in awhile, I guess?" she asked gently.

Jack shook his head. "No, I haven't. But I mustn't get in your father's way about this. I've already appointed him the head of the militia and it wouldn't be fair of me to turn around now and start questioning his motives. He seems like he knows what he's doing in any case."

_He certainly does_, she thought to herself, still struggling mightily not to say anything to her King.

"It was probably for the best anyway," Jack continued. "I don't know how wise it was for the both of us to continue communicating like that…"

Seraphina would have prodded him for more information, intrigued as to where he was going with that particular thought process, but the familiar sound of Zero's bark in the distance caught their attention.

"What is it, boy?" Jack asked once Zero was in a closer proximity, both he and Seraphina having momentarily forgotten his assignment.

"Wait!" Seraphina gasped. "The queen…!"

Jack's eye sockets grew wide when the realization hit him, and he had the skeleton horses making a dangerous, sharp turn around in no-time flat.

"Hold on to something, Miss Belvoir."

That was all the warning Seraphina got before Jack had the horses galloping forward at full-speed, dragging the rickety wagon, with its passengers, along the tumultuous cobblestone.

* * *

She wasn't sure how long she had been detained. A day? Less than a day? It was impossible to tell, really.

Even more difficult to predict was how long she was _going _to be kept in her cramped jail cell. The inmates around her, some of surprisingly non-Easter Town origin, looked as though they had been where they were for a good long while. All were thin and haggard, pale from a long-term lack of sun exposure. The only light to be provided in the prison was from the glowing torches that lined that stone walls. It was therefore impossible to decipher the time of day or how much time one had spent within.

Sally tried to distract herself from the nagging worry of the children, but it was proving to be nigh impossible, and with her hands cuffed securely behind her back there wasn't much she could do in the way of escape. She had tried calming herself down with a mantra that they were okay, that they had reached Lionel and Augusta and were safely back at home. Surely her one act of irresponsibility couldn't have been as detrimental as she feared. Still, she wouldn't be able to rest until she knew for sure that they were unharmed.

The sudden sound of footsteps echoing off the stone slightly jarred her. She had seen no sight of a guard in the entire duration of her stay here and the possible reasons for the unexpected presence of one made her uneasy. She shifted into a corner of darkness in the hopes that she would remain obscured from view.

As the steps grew closer, however, she realized there was more than one pair of feet. This was confirmed when the slightly silhouetted figures of two men stopped outside her cell.

"This one," said the voice she had come to dread, that of Septimus Belvoir.

The lock of her cell was obediently opened by the guard at hand and Septimus stepped inside and into a more revealing patch of light, confirming his identity.

"Well, here we are again, Miss Stitches," he grinned down at her. "And you cannot in all honesty say that I did not give you a fair warning."

Sally bowed her head in an effort to keep from making eye-contact.

"What do you want now?" she asked, her voice coming out pained and hoarse from lack of speaking.

"What does any good _villain_ want with the spoils of his victory? To revel in them, of course."

"So you've come here to tell me 'I told you so'? By all means, go right ahead. It's not as if I have anything better to do."

Septimus clicked his tongue as he sat down gracefully on the piece of hardwood that was meant to serve as a bed.

"It's not as simple as that, I'm afraid. In fact, I wouldn't even have wasted my time coming here if that's all there was to it."

Sally now raised her head in curiosity, and the Vampire Lord seemed pleased to finally have her attention.

"I want you to _really_ understand, Miss Stitches, that I am a man of my word. Think of me what you will, but I am _unwaveringly reliable_."

"The children…" she gasped, having detected the implication in his tone. "…what did you do to them?"

His grin widened, knowingly.

"I didn't do anything. I didn't have to, as it turned out."

Her heart sank and she almost couldn't even will herself to hear him explain, "They never made it home."

She slackened in terrified disbelief.

"You're lying…"

Septimus sighed loudly and pulled something from a pouch she only just now noticed he had on his person. When it was thrown to the ground and its identity revealed, Sally felt even sicker.

"This is the girl's doll, isn't it? Do you really think I'd be able to get it off her person, let alone know it existed if it hadn't been found on her blood-drained body?"

"Stop!" she cried, her voice breaking.

"Do you take me for a liar, Miss Stitches?" he yelled back, his aura of cool suavity gone. "A fool? Did you think I was speaking idly when I warned you it would be the children that would pay if you were to step out of line?"

She looked away once more, having nothing to say back to him and determined to not let him derive any pleasure from her obvious pain.

"I trust you will not underestimate me again," he said after a time, now considerably softer. "But even so, I don't think it wise for you to remain here, nor any other foreign being, as a matter of fact."

As he said this, the sound of cells around her being opened echoed off the walls. There were a few mumbled protests and questions of what was going on from the prisoners themselves, but all were answered with 'shut up', or unhelpful grunts.

Sally, still too stunned and horrified to say anything, allowed, without protest, the guard to come into her cell and hoist her to her feet with a painful tug on her upper arm.

"You can take this back to Halloween Town with you," Septimus chuckled, handing her guard at hand Lucy, the doll. "Use it as a memento of the time you betrayed those who depended on you for your own selfish gain. Perhaps it will help you to not make the same mistake again."

She still said nothing and stared fixedly at the ground, utterly not caring where she went next or what Septimus did with her. Frankly, she wished he would take her apart and set every limb on fire, but she knew he was not that merciful or diplomatic.

As she was forcibly dragged from the cell, into the hall and back the way she had been brought in, all she could think of or care about was the family she had destroyed. In her mind's eye were the small, round faces of Alistair and Lotte, wide-eyed and opened mouthed as they screamed at the spider that came to devour them, with no one around to hear their shrieks. She could see Augusta sobbing and Lionel in an irrevocable state of furious despair, his jaw clenched and his face red as sunset as he tried to hold in tears and be strong despite it all.

And it had all been because of her. She was certain that no forgiveness would ever be due for her, neither from them, nor herself.

* * *

It was well past dusk when Victor finally arrived at the castle, the soft glow of the torches on his wagon being the only beacon as he sped through town and across the pitch-black roads.

"You fairing okay?" Thomas, his elder brother and passenger asked, legitimately concerned.

"Aside from being rather overwhelmed, yes, I'm fine."

It was true he had never driven the bank's cart so fast and had no idea it, or its equally-as-rickety skeleton horses, could pull with such speed. But needs must, particularly when the vampire wife of one's best friend is going into labor and in desperate need of a specialist and one's elder brother happens to be the only vampire medic in town.

He let out a sigh of relief when the castle came into view, and was even more at ease when they were pulling up alongside the front gate. Seraphina was already rushing down the steps and opening the gate for the both of them as rapidly as she could. In their collective desperation, she and Victor grasped a hold of each other once they were within a sufficient proximity.

"How is everything?" Victor asked, breathing heavily.

"Fine, as far as I can tell! Nothing's really happened, yet, though Thomas couldn't have come at a better time. Tivona's acting a little strange- nothing to get upset about, I'm sure!"

"Yeah, try telling that to Jack. How is _he_, as a matter of fact?"

"Uhm…stressed out of his skull? I guess _you _couldn't have come at a better time either."

Thomas suddenly arrived at their side and gave Seraphina a brief pat on the shoulder in greeting before asking where he was needed. She gave him as concise an explanation as possible of where the particular room was and he nodded, clearly a bit confused at her muddled description but not eager to waste any more time.

"I think we better go with him," Victor chuckled nervously, allowing his hands, which he had just now realized were still clutching Seraphina's arms, to fall.

"I think you're right," she said, oddly bashful. "Jack will be relieved to see you."

Seizing his hand in an unexpected burst of energy, she exclaimed, "Come on, I'll take you there!"

The two of them then entered and followed the initial pathway most familiar to Victor. He still hadn't seen the castle in its entirety aside from the entrance and a few side hallways here and there. It was so immense that he wondered if even Jack or Tivona had been given the opportunity.

But as they made their way deeper in, around foyers and through archways, the sound of what was obviously a woman's wail became louder and louder, to a point that Victor knew even he wouldn't need Seraphina's guidance (as admittedly pleasant as her company was) to find the room in question. Victor guessed that Thomas had likely used that exact method of navigation.

"Victor!" came Jack's cry before the half-vampire had even gotten a chance to look up and see him, stopped dead in mid-pace outside of the closed door from where Tivona's scream was emanating. "When Thomas arrived without you, I was worried you decided not to come!"

"How could I ever do such a thing? One must always heed a King's summon, after all."

He nudged Jack in the ribs once he had released his guide's hand and sidled over, trying to indicate he was making an attempt to lighten the mood. But Jack did not seem receptive. Instead, he continued to stare longingly at the door, completely apathetic to his friend's charms.

"Locked you out…?" Victor guessed.

Jack nodded, solemnly. "Dr. Finkelstein and Gloria seem to think it best if I'm not in the way. They suggested I go take Zero for a walk or have a drink at the tavern. Can you imagine? At a time like this?"

Seraphina and Victor then exchanged sheepish glances, now certain that their unspoken, but mutual idea as suggestion for their King would be useless. Best to feign innocence, in that case.

"Oh, yes…unbelievable of them, really…" Victor chuckled guiltily.

"I'm staying _right here_," Jack continued. "And I'm not going to budge until something happens."

"But…Jack, that could take _hours_," Seraphina protested. "Labor can be a long, drawn out process that-"

"Nope. Not budging, Miss Belvoir."

"Don't you think you risk driving yourself to insanity?" Victor added, dually concerned. "You seem stressed out enough as it is. Can I at least fetch you a book-"

"Victor! I don't know how you expect me to focus on a _book_ when I'm sitting right outside the door of where my child is being born!"

Both vampires backed off a bit from the impact of this exclamation, realizing then that there would be no negotiation. Exchanging knowing glances once more, they both took their places on either side of him.

"At least let me tell you a story then," Seraphina grinned. "Something to calm you down and get your mind off what's going on."

"I think that sounds like a capital idea!" Victor encouraged.

Jack sighed loudly. "Well…Miss Belvoir _is_ rather good at telling stories. Alright, go ahead."

The vampires smiled triumphantly at each other from either side before Seraphina let in to her latest tale (something having to do with a unicorn out for cold-blooded revenge).

* * *

For most of the ride, Sally had kept her head bowed and eyes fixed on the hardwood of the carriage's back bay. No one, aside from the Prices and Lord Belvoir, knew she was a murderer, but the guilt and despair was so overwhelming that she could feel the accusation from every set of eyes, even those of her fellow prisoners also along for the ride.

She could think of nothing else but the last moments of her charges, the utter helplessness they must have felt as they were overcome. Perhaps they had hoped that if they shrieked loud enough, someone would hear. Of course, no one had. They were utterly alone and it was _her_ fault, her fault for abandoning them, her fault for opening her mouth, her fault for encouraging them to leave the safety of the inner town. In her panic as she was carted off, she did not think to specify that they should find a means of contacting Lionel and Augusta that did not involve setting out towards home on their own. They could not be blamed for the reckless action. What else were defenseless children supposed to think they should do?

When the cart stopped, it was both jolting and sudden, causing its live cargo to fall slightly to the side and into one another. Sally was hit in the shoulder by a tan, dark-haired man, who appeared as though he might be rather tall when standing at full height.

"Sorry, miss," he apologized softly. Sally couldn't bring herself to accept his apology, not when it should be _her _who was offering them by the handful. Thankfully she didn't have to, as a guard was quick to demand that they all keep quiet.

The back latch was then unlocked and the three leprechauns that she just now realized were in among the group, were carted out with nary a struggle, being just as weak and exhausted as the rest of them.

Sally decided to watch as much as her position would allow her to see, and soon realized they were in the clearing of holiday doors. The leprechauns were unceremoniously uncuffed, untied and thrown back into the trunk from where they had no doubt originated at some point, the slamming of the four-leaf clover door being their only exiting fanfare.

The same happened to the rest of them- a rather lovely girl with wavy blonde hair was tossed into the heart, several penguins, oddly, were crammed into the Christmas tree and the tall man beside her was pushed into the Thanksgiving Day turkey, indicating that he was unsurprisingly an Indian.

She was last, hoisted up once more by the arm and brought just as forcibly to the pumpkin. The door was opened and leaves had already begun to swirl around her before the guards hesitated.

"Don't forget the thing." Said one.

"What thing?" asked the other.

"You know, that doll thing the boss told us to send with her."

"Oh yeah."

She could only assume they had made good on this order and thrown in the doll after her, as she was pushed roughly into the black void without it.

* * *

"She was quite extraordinary," Victor said over Tivona's wails. "That is, most Queens of England are, but Queen Victoria's mark is nothing to scoff at. She _did _reign the longest of England's female monarchs, you know."

"She sounds very impressive," Jack mused, legitimately awed despite his ever-growing concern for what was happening behind the door.

"I guess that's just proof that women can rule kingdoms just fine," Seraphina added, turning up her chin slightly.

"Of course they can!" Victor agreed. "Anyone who thinks otherwise is a fool."

The queen's cries, which had been a fairly constant volume all evening, suddenly died down to near silence. This caused all three of them to jolt up from their seats in the hallway, Jack leading the action. There was an immovable blanket of silence as they listened and waited for something, anything- whatever was to come next.

And it was then that almost surreal, soft sound of an infant's cries permeated through the wood of the door. Seraphina and Victor could see Jack suddenly slacken in what was undoubtedly overwhelming disbelief. The both of them responded to this by gripping his bony hands in support, a gesture that he was barely able to reciprocate.

The door then squeaked open and Gloria's small, hideous head poked through the crack.

"Would you like to see the new princess, your majesty?"

Jack gasped and both vampires could feel him tremble. "It's…it's a girl? I…I have a daughter?"

Gloria just nodded and opened the door further to allow the three of them, Seraphina and Victor serving as metaphorical and literal support, to enter the formerly forbidden room.

Tivona may have been nearly unconscious on the bed to the side of them, but all attention was on the now washed and calmed bundle of blankets that Thomas had cradled in his arms. He smiled up at Jack and gently handed her over.

"Oh my…" Jack breathed upon first glance. Curious beyond measure, Victor and Seraphina peered over to see what was indisputably the offspring of a Skeleton King. She was certainly not what one would call an attractive baby, what with her chalk pale skin, sunken in cheeks, and arms far too skinny for a normal infant, but she was obviously healthy and there was no doubt that Jack had fallen in love at first sight. Perhaps so had the baby, as it was when she heard her father's voice that her violet eyes opened and regarded him in bewilderment.

"Have you decided on a name yet?" Seraphina whispered with a slight squeak.

This managed to momentarily pull Jack's attention away from his daughter's stare, as he suddenly remembered Tivona's presence.

"Oh! I should probably-"

"Don't bother," Dr. Finkelstein interrupted. "She's already made distinct orders not to be woken up. She also said you're free to choose whatever name you want."

Instead of pondering the suspiciousness of this, as were both Seraphina and Victor, Jack simply redirected his attention to the infant, the gaze of whom he was pleased to see had never left him.

"I just don't know," he said softly. "If only she could speak and tell me what she would like to be called…"

It was difficult for everyone in the room to fight the temptation to start spurting out name ideas, but even Seraphina –perhaps with the helpful warning nudge from Victor- knew it would be inappropriate. This was Jack's decision to make, and his alone.

He eventually looked up once more, as if planning to search the room for some kind of inspiration. Perhaps instinctively, his eye sockets met with Victor's concerned stare first. A look of epiphany soon followed.

"Victoria!" he exclaimed.

"C-c-come again?" Victor stammered.

"Who better to name her after than my closest friend and a respected, accomplished monarch? It's perfect!"

There was a moment of silent deliberation as everyone present, save for the sleeping Queen, considered this name and came to the rather surprising conclusion that it _was_ oddly fitting, including the spontaneity of the decision itself (which was unequivocally Jack).

Victor would have offered thanks, but the aptly named Victoria suddenly broke into cries of hungered protest and the two respective doctors in the room had to rush to the new father's aid with instructions and supplies for bottle feeding her.

Seraphina, meanwhile, scooted close to Victor and gave him a congratulatory hand squeeze and subsequent grin. He, in turn, put his arm around her shoulders affectionately, and the both of them watched the rather heartwarming scene of Jack struggling to give Victoria her first bottle.

* * *

The Witch Sisters found themselves, once again, floating through the cemetery en route back home. This time, however, they were neither dizzy with fame and praise nor excited for their future prospects.

The past few months had been depressingly uneventful for their group. The public, it seemed, was already tiring of Toil and Trouble's femme-rock image and so less and less offers for performances were being extended their way. As a result, Helga and Zelda were thin on income and in desperate need of a new source of revenue.

"Maybe we could figure out some kinda potion or something that could make someone _scarier_?" Zelda offered. "I bet lots of monsters here would snatch that right up."

Helga rolled her eyes and sighed. This brainstorming would be so much easier if she hadn't inexplicably lost her flair for potion-making. All she really wanted to do now was make music and run a successful band, but such was an apparently impossible dream.

"This is all that Vampire Lord's fault," Helga muttered, ignoring Zelda's suggestion completely. "He said he was going to _help _us, didn't he? You call this help?"

"Calm down, sister. He hasn't taken control yet, anyway. We need to do _our _part to see that Jack is properly overthrown and then Lord Belvoir can make good on his promise."

"Hmph. If you ask me, he's just using us as pawns- same as he's doing to traitorous, moronic Tivona."

"You know what you need?" Zelda grinned. "A good cheering up. The baby was born tonight, did you know?"

Helga's eyes lit up. "_Really? _Where did you hear this?"

"Word of mouth. You can be sure there's going to some kind of celebration soon to show it off, which will provide a perfect opportunity for us to get a good look and laugh at it."

"And Tivona's face will be make the experience, I expect," Helga cackled. "I do wonder how she's taking motherhood, so far."

The two Witches giggled evilly as they continued on their way, almost too encumbered with their private celebration to notice a figure somewhat lumbering through the tombstones.

"What the devil is that?" Zelda asked, starting to slowly drift towards it before Helga seized her arm.

She had half a mind to make them both turn the other way and speed off as fast they could, being uneager to encounter yet another wayward newcomer that would end up sabotaging them completely. But then her younger sister shouted, "Wait! I think it's that ragdoll, Sally!" and that was enough to make Helga sufficiently curious to go investigate despite it all.

"It _is _you!" Helga exclaimed once the two of them were floating near Sally's head and could say, without a doubt, that it was her. "Where have you been? You've been gone almost a year now!"

Sally nodded, her face solemn and marked with the evidence of exhaustion.

"To be concise, I was in a place I never should have gone. Now, I'm right back where I started and I have to exist indefinitely with the guilt I earned there. So you'll excuse me if I'm not very polite or cordial right now, ladies, but I'd like to be on my way in peace."

She attempted to make her way forward, but the sisters couldn't be deterred from following her.

"Where are you gonna go now?" Zelda asked.

"I don't know."

"What happened that made you so guilty?" was Helga's inquiry.

"I'd rather not talk about it."

"What's with that doll you have?" was Zelda's second prod.

"Ladies, please!" Sally exclaimed suddenly, rounding on her heel, the onset of tears rather evident. "I've already said I don't want to talk about it! Now please be courteous enough to leave me alone."

"Oh dear," Helga sighed. "You don't really look like you should be alone tonight, if I may be frank."

"Yeah," Zelda added. "Where are you gonna stay?"

Sally was content to ignore them at this point, as she had already begun a hasty retreat away from them without so much as a look back.

"She doesn't look happy…" Zelda commented, to which Helga agreed with a simple nod. "Sister, I think we should take her back with us."

Helga was clearly dubious of this at first mention, but something about the ragdoll's unhappiness, combined with her inescapable curiosity at what was going on with her, made her eventually agreeable to this.

"I think you're right, Zelda. We have an obligation to take her under our wing. However, it's apparent she won't go without a fight, so…"

Zelda smiled wickedly. "We'll just have knock her out and make this easier for everyone!"

The sisters high-fived enthusiastically before zipping off after Sally as quietly as they could, hoping she wouldn't hear them approach before they accomplished their goal.

* * *

The door creaked slightly as she opened it and she cursed at the telling noise. Every sound made was sure to echo reverberatingly all over the castle, so she waited a moment in the dank silence to see if anyone had heard before she continued on her path into the nursery.

The room itself had been decorated by Seraphina, she guessed, _maybe _with a few suggestions from Jack. She had refused to have any part in it whatsoever, so the overall theme of glow-in-the-dark spiders and cobwebs came as something of an unpleasant surprise to her. She grimaced at it all as she made her way across the stone floor, knowing full-well she could have done a better job and probably should have.

But would it have been worth it? That, she was about to find out.

Inside that black crib, above which dangled a matching spider mobile, lay the baby she had just finished giving birth to naught but a few hours ago. She did not think of it as _her_ baby, just _the_ baby, and this distinction was so important to her that she feigned total and complete exhaustion afterwards so that she wouldn't have been forced to hold or look at it. Truthfully, the thing frightened her. She feared even laying eyes on it would allow that spell –the one all newborn babies seem capable of inflicting on their mothers- to ensnare her.

But looking at it was an inevitability, and she knew that she needed to show this baby, this fear that gripped her, that neither one held any control over her, _would _have any control over her.

So she approached the crib with determination, and summoned all her courage as she gripped her arms tightly and peered over the side to see what lay within.

The moon's rays were cast in thick lines over the stark pale skin, somehow making the baby look even gaunter- an already unusually noticeable trait (or perhaps not so unusual, given its father was a skeleton). It slept peacefully for the time being, its round little stomach heaving up and down between the pronounced rib cage, its tiny arms and hands splayed on either side of its head. It was also hard not to take notice of the few dark, wispy hairs that already lay on its white scalp.

Tivona steeled herself as she watched, holding on as desperately as she could to the hatred and anger that coiled tightly in the pit of her stomach.

"You will never have control over me," she whispered bitterly through clenched teeth. "I didn't want you to begin with. I never asked for you. You can't just worm your way into my life and expect me to give up everything for you. That's not fair, and I refuse to do it."

The baby stirred a little, and she watched it with bated breath, afraid it was going to wake up shrieking and let everyone know she had come here. It would have been the perfect retaliation, after all. But instead it simply settled back into its slumber with a deep sigh, mimicked by its mother when it seemed apparent she wouldn't be tattled on.

"I've worked too hard to let it all go," Tivona continued in that hiss of whisper, this time leaning forward a bit over the crib rail so that she wouldn't have to speak as loudly. "Especially for something as inconsequential as you."

"Berating the infant, are we?"

She could have whipped around and gasped, or feigned some kind of surprise at Septimus' sudden presence, but it would be a lie to say that she hadn't already sensed him. Besides, the former would give him pleasure she was not feeling generous enough to offer.

"I'm conquering my fears," she explained, standing up straight in an effort to regain some dignity. "Isn't that the wise thing to do?"

"Now, now," he tsked patronizingly as he sauntered over beside her. "I'm sure this tiny thing couldn't hurt a fly, and we both know you've faced much worse besides."

_No I haven't_, she thought to herself as Septimus peered over at the baby who was still in the midst of a calm, uninterrupted slumber.

"It's a girl, I understand," he said after a time. "Not a very pretty girl, mind you, but given her genes I suppose she can't be blamed."

Tivona tried her best to ignore him. He was spouting off information she that she technically already knew and for a specific purpose, as he must have already detected her efforts to dehumanize it.

"And her name? I am _sure _that I heard it from someone, but it escapes me now…"

_Victoria_. It resounded almost immediately in her mind, despite herself.

"Was it Veronica? Or Vanessa? Something similar to that, I'm sure of it…"

_Victoria, Victoria, Victoria_. She clenched her teeth tightly.

"Well, no matter," he grinned, glancing over at her slyly. "I'm sure it will come up again eventually."

"What are you doing here, anyway?" Tivona blurted out, eager to divert the subject of conversation. "What happened to being fulltime Easter Town?"

"Ah yes, that _was_ a necessity in the initial stages, of course, and not just an excuse to get away from you and your third trimester hormones, I promise."

She narrowed her eyes at him irritation. He just laughed in reply, snaking an arm around her waist and pulling her, with her put-on reluctance, into an embrace.

"Oh, where's your sense of humor, love?"

She could tell by the tone of his voice that he was endeavoring to be ever-so-slightly seductive and while she would have most likely been receptive to this at any other time, now was hardly the opportune moment. As a result, she pushed him away.

"You're angry with me," he stated, amused. "You feel that I've been neglecting you."

"I am a vital part of this." she barked back, quiet as possible. "You and I both know that, so stop treating me like some kind of accessory you can pull off a shelf whenever you want. Make me feel involved or I'm calling this whole thing off."

"That's really not much a threat though, is it?" Septimus seemed completely unperturbed. "What will you do? Tell Jack the truth? Be kicked out the kingdom? Become an outcast?"

Tivona shifted uncomfortably, realizing her bluff had been called.

"And do you think I will simply _fail _without you?" he continued, now starting to approach her in a domineering fashion. "Do you really think I can't find another desperate, dishonest and foolish young woman to take up your part?"

She continued to glare at him, determined not to let him see her weak, though she suspected he had already picked up on it.

"Don't delude yourself into thinking that you're irreplaceable, that there is something _special _about you that sets you apart from everyone else. You're just like every other entitled, selfish girl who thinks the world should be handed to them in thin slices on a silver platter. So you see, my dear, it is not I who should be catering to your whims, but rather you to mine. Otherwise, I can bring this whole thing crashing down on top of you and, really, that doesn't sound half as inviting as being good and obedient and enjoying the spoils of success with me, now does it?"

He softened again and placed gentle, forgiving hands on her shoulders.

"Now," he whispered, his hands gradually sliding downward to eventually grasp her upper arms, bringing her lips up closer to his. "Can we forgive and forget?"

It was at that moment that the baby began to wake up, doing so with a few coughed out cries that were sure to be preemptive of something much bigger and louder.

Septimus kissed her anyway, hard and passionate, before whispering between their mouths a promise that he would be back soon. He was in bat form and fluttering out the window in the wink of an eye, gone as quickly as he had come.

She then turned and eyed the crib hatefully before striding over and picking up the now shrieking infant with every bit of reluctance she could muster. It wasn't as if she had any clue as to what one did to rectify a situation like this, but she couldn't be seen standing awkwardly in the middle of the nursery while the mutant continued to cry in its crib when Jack inevitably burst in.

This, he eventually did, and Tivona was handing off the wailing mass to him as soon as she could.

"I'm too tired to deal with this right now," she explained quickly as she made a hasty retreat from the room.

Jack didn't get a chance to say anything to her in reply, but it seemed not to matter very much to him as his concerns were immediately with baby. She couldn't block out the sound of him whispering comfortingly, or ignore the fact that the crying began dwindle almost immediately after having been given over to him.

For a brief second, there was a flicker of jealousy, a wanton need to have another human being find that sort of comfort in her. But then she remembered when that _had _been the case, and the feeling was gone just as quickly.

* * *

When Sally awoke, she wasn't given much time to recover or collect her thoughts. Helga and Zelda came at her the moment she stirred, pushing glasses of a rather unappetizing looking substance into her face.

"Drink this!" they commanded, almost in unison. "Trust us! It'll make you feel better!"

At first, she swatted them away, confused as to what was going on, but they eventually got control of her and managed to get the liquid down her throat.

"What- what _was_ that?" she coughed out.

"A special concoction of ours," Helga explained with a grin.

"Helps with headaches!" Zelda added. "We kinda sorta had to knock you out to get you to come with us and we wouldn't want you to be suffering with one on our account."

Sally glared at them slightly as she sat up straighter.

"How very kind of you," she muttered sarcastically.

She then swung her legs over whatever surface she had been laying on –a couch, she soon realized- and the sisters were quick to lend her support by grasping her upper arms. She allowed this, even if she felt perfectly capable of walking over to the nearby armchair on her own. What else could she do, really?

"Now that you're awake," Helga said as she and her sister took up the chairs facing her. "You _must _tell us where you've been and what has happened to you!"

Sally regarded them in rather annoyed confusion, as she had barely exchanged a word with the witches before. Truly, they were acquaintances at best. Why they suddenly wanted intimate details on her personal life was completely beyond her- that was, until she remembered their flair for gossip.

"I…was living in another town for a while," she sighed, choosing to succumb to their whims in the hopes that it might get them off of her case. "Easter Town, as a matter of fact. As you both are probably aware, it's under Septimus' control now and he seemed to think no one of foreign origin, aside from him and the militia, despite their inability to accomplish anything, should be allowed to stay in, for supposed safety reasons. As a result, I was kicked out."

She hoped that by purposefully omitting the parts the sisters might find more intriguing she might be able to lose their attention and thus not be forced to put her privacy on the chopping block.

This seemed to work, as the sisters suddenly looked very uncomfortable and surprisingly reticent.

"How terrible for you," Helga said absentmindedly as she leapt from her chair, came over to her guest and began to pull her gently from her own seat.

"Yes, just awful," Zelda added, pushing Sally from behind. "But now I think we _must _be showing you to your room."

Helga smiled sweetly up at Sally. "You are tired, aren't you?"

She wasn't really, especially not after however long a period of time it was that she had been unconscious, but she wasn't enjoying being down here with them, getting metaphorically poked and prodded.

"As a matter of fact I am. You're both so kind to let me stay tonight."

"Yeah, yeah," Helga chided, continuing to move Sally forcefully towards the staircase. "Don't mention it."

* * *

**A/N- **Please don't think I'm going to go the entirety of Victoria's life without Victor mentioning his late wife. That connection definitely _will _be made (how could it not, really?) I just didn't think it was one Jack would have had forefront on his mind as a reason to bestow the name to his daughter. Also, Dolores will be mentioned again next chapter, if you're at all concerned with her. =) I couldn't really fit her in here.


	27. Chapter 25 A Less Than Triumphant Return

**A/N:** I liiive! I suppose most of you probably thought this story had fallen by the wayside, but nope, I've been working on it off-and-on since it was last updated which was...oh, uhm 10 months ago...yikes. I apologize for the long wait! I got married in November, moved into a new house in December, and then had to focus on graduating from college once the semester started, not to mention a million other personal things I had to tend to and trips across the country and ANYWAY, life was busy, okay?! Life is about to get busy again, I fear, because I've just started a full-time teaching position _and_ I'm going to school for my next degree. However, I do want to try to focus a lot of my residual time and creative energy back on this story if at all possible. So look for updates in hopefully the near future!

This chapter isn't super exciting or anything, but there's a lot of necessary plot development and exposition. Expect the next couple of chapters to advance things rapidly!

**Disclaimer- **Burton's, et al.

* * *

_Ch. 25- A Less-Than Triumphant Return_

She didn't really want to come, but it wasn't as if she was reluctant to see her old friends or be welcomed back into her old home.

She was anticipating a thoroughly happy and pleasant event, as any gathering celebrating a baby's arrival would be, and she was in no state to add to that kind of environment. The shock of what had happened to Alistair and Lotte still rattled her to the core, and though she did her best to hide how much this was affecting her to her Witch Sister hosts, it was no less potent in her mind.

On some level, she knew that what had happened was an accident and that nothing could change what had transpired and it had only ever been her intention to protect and do what was right by them. However, her rationality did not rid her of the overwhelming guilt or the pain of losing two children that were, in many ways, as good as her own.

Really, she wanted to spend the day alone with her thoughts in bed as her motivation to do anything productive or useful had been completely drained since the event. The Witch Sisters, however, would not stand for it, insisting that she accompany them and get some fresh air and socialization. Sally relented, not wanting to have to deal with their prying anymore than she already was. This was not a subject she felt ready to rehash with anyone, much less them.

And this is why she found herself that afternoon, immersed in the celebration with only a cup of witch's brew punch to keep her company as she hadn't really made any effort to seek out anything or anyone better.

But that could have been because she knew they would find her on their own- 'they', of course, being Seraphina and Victor, who came over immediately after having spotted her.

"Sally!" Victor exclaimed, to which she inwardly reacted to his continuing displays of seemingly uncharacteristic enthusiasm. He enveloped her in a hug, and was soon followed by Seraphina who didn't neglect to add kisses on Sally's cheeks afterward.

Victor seemed to have already taken notice of her old, patchwork style dress in favor of one of her Easter Town frocks before he said rather curiously, "We didn't expect to see you here!"

"Well, I'm back for good now," she replied, smiling as convincingly as she could. "So I expect we'll be seeing a lot more of each other."

The two vampires exchanged a glance before Seraphina asked with a cocked eyebrow, "May I ask _how _you got back? I…understand that my father has travel back and forth blocked off."

"He's decided that foreign entities are also a danger," Sally explained. "Sort of ironic, considering."

Seraphina nodded a bit absently. "You've got that right."

The admittedly dreaded but inevitable question of whether or not she had seen Jack and the baby yet eventually arose and she could not lie. Perhaps just as inevitable was the escorting the both of them did for her over to where he was, talking about the newborn the entire way there. Sally felt guilty for not listening as intently as she should have, but her mind was not exactly on the issue at hand.

But when Jack caught sight of them and visibly brightened as they made their way over, Sally could feel the weight on her shoulders lifting ever-so-slightly. This was no doubt furthered by the effect of the baby sling he was wearing to carry his young daughter.

"Look who's come back!" Victor announced, guiding her over by the arm. Jack looked between them both disbelievingly.

"Come back?" he repeated. "As in…_forever_?"

Sally nodded, causing his grin to widen.

"You…I don't think you know how happy this makes me…" he said, taking her hands in his. "It hasn't been the same without you."

In her peripheral, Sally could see Victor and Seraphina nonchalantly slipping away from scene, no doubt to allow them the time alone. Jack didn't seem to take any notice, however, so she chose not to acknowledge it out loud.

"It hasn't been the same not being here," she admitted. "I honestly think it was a mistake to have left, but I suppose there's nothing I can do about that now."

She shrugged sadly, gradually starting to let her shields down. Thankfully, she noticed the concerned look forming on Jack's face in enough time to divert his attention.

"This must be Victoria," she said, indicating the heavy weight in his sling.

He nodded, quickly regaining his former enthusiasm.

"It is! Would you like to hold her?"

Sally nodded, genuinely curious to see more of her than just the lumpy outline of her body pressed against the fabric of the carrier. Jack then led her over to an empty table and chairs that were somewhat out of the way of the thick of the celebration, and sat down beside her before slowly easing Victoria out of the comforting tightness the sling provided. He made sure to carefully re-wrap the blanket around her before shifting her over to Sally's arms.

Sally, meanwhile, tried not to fixate too much on the endearing amount of care and tenderness Jack displayed while handling his daughter. This was rather difficult, however, as it was a side of him she had never been given the privilege to see.

"She's lovely," Sally whispered as she gazed down at the soundly sleeping infant. She wasn't able to see the private smile Jack made in response, pleased to hear for the first time that someone besides himself found Victoria to be beautiful.

Sally shifted and rearranged until she was cradling her a bit more upright, able to better view her face as she began to gently rock her. The longer they stayed together, the more transfixed she seemed to become by Victoria, seemingly forgetting Jack altogether.

"Can…I ask what made you come back?" Jack said finally, admittedly a bit loath to spoil the moment.

He could hear her sigh rather shakily, before turning to him and extending Victoria out to be taken back. He accepted her, but said nothing in the hopes that it would allow for Sally to be forthcoming. It was not hard to tell that something was weighing on her and he had seen it almost the moment he first spotted her in the crowd.

"I've done something terrible, Jack," she nearly muttered, her gaze fixed on the ground. "Something I can never take back."

He repositioned Victoria as gently as he could so as to not wake her, but to also be able to place a comforting hand on his friend's arm.

"And what would that be?"

She willed her eyes to meet with his sockets, determined to admit her guilt candidly. She knew it was the least she could do.

"I've killed Alistair and Lotte," she admitted finally, her voice breaking.

"…what?" he asked after a time, seemingly more confused than distraught.

"I've killed them. They're dead because of me."

Gradually, it became apparent that her story wasn't going to make much sense if she didn't offer a more detailed explanation. This she did, extrapolating on how she stood up for Jack and got arrested because of it, allowing the children to go off and their own and be attacked. She followed all of this with the mention of being thrown out and back into Halloween Town due to Septimus' laws.

Jack shifted Victoria slightly, though it was clear it was more out of discomfort than necessity.

"Sally…you didn't kill those children..."

She wasn't convinced in the slightest, as she was almost immediately brought to tears that she had been trying extraordinarily hard to hold back. As she sobbed into her hands, Jack placed what he hoped was a loving, comforting hand on her back.

"You didn't." he repeated, certain of his judgment on the matter but unsure as to what was the right thing to say. "They were the victims of an unfortunate circumstance and not a part of it was caused by you."

"Jack," Sally whimpered through the tears. "I was supposed to protect them. They trusted me."

"And you did nothing to violate that!" he insisted. "You were looking out for them through that whole ordeal. At no point did you abandon that effort."

"I shouldn't have spoken out in the first place. I knew better than that."

"No," Jack stated, relocating his hand to hers. "You defended your beliefs, and me. I don't think anyone should have to apologize for being brave."

They simply sat there for a moment in silence, allowing the background clamor of the celebration to fill the void, even if neither of them really heard any of it. Sally may have been no more convinced of her innocence, despite Jack's assurances, but she was certainly feeling a little less weighed down by the knowledge of what had happened. Jack, meanwhile, waited patiently for her to pick up the discussion again. He was concerned he had said something to make it all infinitely worse and was eager to be proven wrong.

"They were just so young," Sally said, staring aimlessly off into the crowd. "And completely undeserving of everything that happened to them."

She suddenly turned to Jack, looking at him rather desperately.

"But, Jack…I can't let their deaths be in vain, which is why I _have _to tell you the truth about Lord Belvoir."

"The truth?" he repeated, mystified.

It was at that moment that Victoria woke up and began to whimper and writhe in protest, clearly on the brink of a very loud, tearful episode. Sensing this, Jack stood and quickly offered Sally a hand.

"I think we had better take her to the nursery," he explained. "I'm not sure whether it's the noise, or hunger, or…"

Sally couldn't help her slight grin. "…a soon-to-be soiled diaper?"

Jack nodded reluctantly as she accepted his assistance and rose to her feet.

"Is it the best of etiquette to leave with the guest of honor?" he wondered as they made their way to the back entrance of the castle.

Sally made a sweeping glance of the celebration behind them and answered swiftly.

"Somehow I don't think anyone will notice."

* * *

Tivona wasn't exactly hard to spot in the thick of the crowd. At most celebrations like this, it was a given that she'd probably be sitting at a table alone, fuming quietly and staring daggers at all of the elated party-goers. This is why Helga and Zelda located and zoomed over to her in record time, eager to begin their badgering.

"Well, well, if it isn't Mother Tivona!" Helga cackled, Zelda following suit. "My, my, I have to say that you _do _look good for someone who just gave birth- a brew for my sister and I, please."

Helga threw out this last command to a nearby servant as she and Zelda took seats at the table with their old _friend_ and _cousin_.

"Doesn't she look good, Zelda?"

"Considering the circumstances, I'd have to say 'yes', Helga, though she's not nearly as spry or as thin as she used to be."

"Alas, no. The loss of youth is, in fact, an unfortunate price to pay for having and raising children, but I'm sure all those stretch marks are worth it, eh, my dear?"

Tivona didn't even give them the satisfaction of a look. She simply continued to glare at the table.

"I wish you two would go away," she mumbled. "I'm _not _in the mood right now."

"Imagine that," Helga said, a bit cuttingly. "Tivona isn't happy to be a mother. Who could've predicted this?"

She and Zelda laughed and, finally, Tivona relented to look up and stare daggers at the both of them.

"No, I'm _not _happy and I'm sure the icing on the cake of all of this for you two will be to see the damn thing yourselves, isn't that right? Well, come on, then. Let's go get you two your big, satisfying look at this abomination you've created so you can leave me the hell alone."

She stood then, gathering her skirts and pointing demandingly at a nearby servant.

"You, there. Tell me where the King has gone with the princess."

The servant quickly explained that he had disappeared into the castle with the guest of honor and Tivona could only guess that they would be in the nursery.

"Well, are you two coming or not?" she threw over her shoulder to the witch sisters before beginning her march to the castle.

* * *

Victoria was changed and sleeping peacefully in her crib before Sally dared to bring up Septimus again, and even then, she didn't have to. Jack broached the subject first, almost as if he might have had his own suspicions- subconscious or otherwise.

"So…what is this about Lord Belvoir?" he asked in a hushed tone as they were still standing in the nursery, not too far from the crib.

"There's no better or more concise way I can put this, Jack. He's not your ally, he's your enemy and he's vying to get rid of you. He wants complete power over all of the holidays and accepting the position as leader of the militia into Easter Town was just the next step to gaining it. He practically runs the whole town now, the Easter Parliament are little more than his puppets. _He _planted the spider eggs there to begin with…Jack, don't you see this?"

He looked at her for a moment as if he were studying her expression for some sign of facetiousness. Having found none, he reverted in on himself.

"I…do you have some kind of proof that this is definitely the case? I mean…I'm aware that Lord Belvoir has something of an off-putting demeanor, but he-"

"Jack, please…"

Sally took his bony hands in hers and sat the both of them down in the two iron rocking chairs in the far right corner of the nursery.

"You _have _to listen to me this time," she continued, pleadingly. "I know that it's a gift of yours to always be able to see the good in everyone but…sometimes there just isn't any. Septimus is trying to get rid of you. You just have to look around you to see it."

Jack paused for a moment, mulling over what she had said as if it was the most difficult thing he had ever tried to comprehend- not because it was beyond his capabilities, but because he didn't want to believe it to be true.

"If…this is true, how do we go about rectifying it?"

Sally shook her head.

"I don't know. I don't know if we can. Sometimes I fear that it may be too late."

"No," Jack said pointedly. "I refuse to believe that. I'll…I'll get this straightened out. Surely, the Holiday Council-"

"Will they help you, Jack, really? I have no doubt in my mind that they know what Septimus is planning. There's no way they couldn't, at this point. Apparently, they are keen to either let things develop or force us to figure this one out…probably both."

Jack nodded, for he knew it to be true. The Council was all-knowing, they had always been, and rarely did they intervene (with the exception of hearings and punishments and other dire situations). They no doubt were well aware of all of this and, as Sally said, were not lifting a finger for a reason, a reason that he would likely soon come to learn.

"Very well," he sighed. "I suppose I shall have to take matters into my own hands-."

Sally wanted to say something, but it was at that moment that the doors to the nursery swung open with a reverberating slam and in came Tivona, followed by the chattering Witch Sisters.

Naturally, all of this sound at once woke Victoria from her light sleep.

* * *

Tivona was frozen in her tracks, barely aware of the crying infant on the opposite side of the room. Her glare was fixed on the ragdoll, the ragdoll she hadn't seen or been prevailed upon to really worry about for nearly a year and yet _there_ she was, alone in a room with Jack.

Her very presence was an omen. Sally being here meant that Septimus had let her go on purpose and if that were true, it meant that he didn't care if she interfered with Jack. Was this Septimus' way of getting rid of Tivona the pawn without getting his own hands dirty?

Well, she wasn't having it. She had worked too hard to get where she was to just be booted off the throne with one signed annulment. Therefore, she clenched her jaw and glared fixedly at her adversary.

"What is _she _doing here?"

The question was meant more for Sally, actually, than anyone else in the room. Nevertheless, Jack seemed to be working on an explanation even as he juggled Victoria in his arms, but Sally beat him to the punch.

"I was sent back here," she explained. "Lord Belvoir's orders."

Tivona's glare turned to Jack then, demanding to know why they were alone together.

"I just saw her again at the celebration," he said, rubbing Victoria's back as he held her to his chest. "Victoria needed to be put down for a nap, so Sally accompanied me up here so that we could talk further."

Tivona just rolled her shoulders and focused on regaining her control.

"Very well. I think Jack and I can handle things from here."

She glanced back at The Witch Sisters and trusted that she didn't even need to give Sally a non-verbal indication. Sure enough, the three unwanted guests shuffled out with a surprising amount of respectful silence and when they were gone, Tivona drifted over to her husband.

"I didn't appreciate that," she said firmly. "Might I remind you that the last time I saw her she was kissing you the night before our wedding."

Victoria made soft cooing noises as Jack stared down at his wife pleadingly.

"You've nothing to worry about…haven't I made that clear to you?"

"I'm sure you would have said the same thing, had I asked you before on that night. You have a frustratingly optimistic way of looking at potential, especially your own."

Jack just bowed his head in shame, apparently unable to argue.

"If she _must_ be here," Tivona continued. "Then there will be ground rules for the both of you. The first one is that you and she will never be alone again."

"Darling, this is completely unnecess-"

"Don't argue with me, Jack. You and I both know you are in no position for that. The rules I establish are ones I trust you both will follow and respect for the sake of my own comfort. I don't want to have to make-up repercussions for you if you don't."

Jack sighed and held the now sleeping Victoria close to him as he nodded in concession.

"Good."

And that was all she had to say before storming out of the nursery and back into the thick of the celebration.

* * *

He could have never anticipated that escaping from his own castle undetected would be so tedious. A cloak, the cover of nightfall, and a rope extending from the far tower window were all he had to aid him. Thankfully the servants and guards still on duty were few and far between and he was fairly good at being stealthy, even with a blanket of burlap billowing around him.

So he managed to weave around and get up to the tower without so much as one of them taking any notice. From the window he could see Victor and his cart parked around the back street, behind the large iron fence that went around the courtyard. They exchanged a wave before he began his careful descent down the rope, ever aware that if he were to slip and fall he would break into a million pieces. It had happened several times before and was not a condition that couldn't be remedied, but time was of the essence right now and he had none to spare for correcting such an accident.

He let out of sigh of relief when he reached the bottom before knocking on a stone twice. It was the signal for Zero to pull the rope up until he got back –to avoid any notice from the night patrol-. When he was certain that Zero had concealed it properly, he snuck across the courtyard, climbed over the fence, and met Victor in the passenger seat of the cart.

"Are you _completely _sure about this, Jack?" Victor asked in a soft whisper, jostling the skeleton horses to go forward in any case.

"I am. Are you? As I said before, I don't want to jeopardize your business…"

Victor scoffed out a laugh.

"If I never have to see Easter Town or Lord Belvoir again, I will be very pleased indeed, business profits or no. Can't imagine why he demands that we still deliver by hand. Postage would probably be the more efficient option in any case."

"Well, I'm glad for it, no matter the reason. There would be no way for me to gain entry otherwise."

They were silent for a moment as the cart took them out of town and upwards into the hills and The Hinterlands, towards the ring of holiday doors. The bony hooves of the horses plodded on the now earthen trail as the crates of bottled blood clanked in the back bay.

"What do you hope to accomplish with this?" Victor asked, breaking the silence. "I mean…surely you don't mean to stop him in his tracks?"

Jack stalled from answering because the truth was that he really didn't know. His plan thus far was to let Septimus know he was aware of his underlying intent…beyond that, he was more or less relying on instinct. It was how he lived, how he operated. Stopping Oogie Boogie had been a complete impulse act as well. What more could he do, after all? He didn't really know Septimus. He didn't know what thoughts ran through his head or what to anticipate from him or what motivated him to be the way that he was. Perhaps therein lay the reason as to why he should have never trusted him in the first place.

Jack was beginning to think he was generally a bit too trusting for his own good and, maybe, a poorer judge of character than he had previously thought.

"I mean to do something," he answered finally. "I mean to not sit around with the knowledge I have and let things crumble around me."

Victor just nodded, perhaps having once again come to reckon with Jack's flawed and, yet, irrefutable logic. Perhaps he also knew that Jack was aware this was an incomplete plan with a high risk of failure…he didn't need to hear that same information relayed.

And so the two of them continued onward to the doors in silence, too overcome with anticipation and their own, respective jumbled thoughts to say much of anything. They arrived at the circle of doors, rode up to the Easter Egg, and when Victor opened it, they and the cart were sucked in by a rather rancid smelling cloud of wilted lily petals. Jack took this for the bad omen that it was.

They arrived at the portals in Easter Town in one piece, seated and secured with their cargo as before. Two brutish-looking, probably-vampiric guards were standing there to 'greet' them and did so without a word.

"I've come with the blood order," Victor explained, sounding a bit tired as if to suggest he'd had to explain this to the same set of guards every time he had arrived. They didn't answer him and instead flipped up the tarp on the back cargo to make sure he was carrying exactly what he claimed to be. When they decided he was, they came back around to the front to eye Jack's cloaked form suspiciously.

"This is our new apprentice," Victor said. Jack was surprised at the amount of calm in his voice. "He's a mute."

It would appear the guards were too, as they simply indicated their dubious satisfaction with a nod from one and a gesture to proceed onward from the other.

Victor did so and Jack only spoke when he was sure they were out of range of being heard.

"You were marvelous back there, Victor! I daresay you didn't even break a sweat!"

Victor smirked. "To be fair, those two are about the densest pair of louts I've ever dealt with. I wasn't worried at all about pulling the wool or, burlap in this case, over their eyes."

Jack laughed, but his humor was rather quickly dissolved when he caught sight of a group -no, a horde, almost- of giant spiders beginning to accumulate on a hill, watching the two of them and the cart with swiveling red eyes. He turned to look at Victor's side, only to see another group entirely, perhaps even bigger in number than the former.

"Ah yes, that would be the problem Sally had mentioned to you," Victor said. "Not to worry though, I have strings of that herbal repellant Sally told me to use on either side of the cart. It seems to keep them at bay. Alternatively, I keep a rifle under your seat."

Jack was further taken-back at his friend's nonchalant attitude.

"Gotten used to this, have you?"

"Oh, quite. It was all rather jarring at first, but after doing this twice a month for several months on end, one gets accustom. Besides, we have them in Halloween Town."

"Yes," Jack agreed. "But not in this quantity...and most assuredly not this aggressive."

As they drew closer to the inner town, Jack began to see that the spiders were not the only things that had changed. Even at night with only the glow of the moon to illuminate things, it was clear that the town had fallen into a near state of ruin. He was horrified by it in the worst way, but at the same time, never more grateful that he had listened to Sally.

"It hasn't taken very long for things to get this bad, has it?" Victor said, seeming to have anticipated Jack's feelings on the matter. "That's probably the most terrible thing. How much worse will it get, one wonders?"

Jack didn't have an answer to that, so he didn't try to offer one. Inwardly, he guiltily knew this was his fault. It didn't ever seem to matter one bit that his intentions were honorable. No good deed goes unpunished and this certainly seemed to be the norm for him time and time again. He could only hope that, as before, his latest mistake was reversible.

The two of them rode in silence, once again, through the once illustrious and now broken down streets to the parliament building at the very end of the square. Victor drove them around to a back entrance before stopping completely.

"This is the larder to the main kitchen," Victor explained in a soft whisper as he unlocked the door. He then tossed the keys to Jack. "These may be of use to you, I'm not sure…better safe than sorry."

Jack accepted them gratefully and eyed the stacks of crates.

"Are you sure you don't need any help?" he asked, weary of leaving his friend to have to tend to so much.

"I've got to have something to occupy myself with while you're being the hero," Victor grinned. "No, really, Jack- go. I'll be just fine. I do this on my lonesome every other time, you must remember."

Jack nodded and smiled briefly before taking off through the kitchen in a similarly stealthy manner to the one he used in his own castle. Here, of course, he'd need to be even more alert, as it would be difficult to anticipate what would await him around each corner.

The kitchen led to an empty, but lit hallway of what appeared to be office doors. It split off in two directions, but Jack knew from the circular design of the building (fittingly, in the shape of an easter egg) that both directions would lead to the same, central place, and since this was a primary hour for Septimus to be awake, he would likely be conducting business somewhere near the main floor. That was where he needed to go, without a doubt.

Following the hallway around was a surprisingly easy feat. As far as he could see, there did not seem to be a strict system of security in the building of any form and this made him wonder. He did not want to flatter himself again that he understood Lord Belvoir at all, but at the very least he could say that he was intelligent. If there were no security guards in the building, Jack got the very distinct feeling it was an intentional choice.

But why? He couldn't figure it out.

Stranger still was the fact that the main floor and atrium of the building was completely empty, despite providing a straight shot to a room labeled with Lord Belvoir's name. There wasn't even a secretary to try to creep past.

He had no doubt in his mind now that this was not incidental and, perhaps, even intricately planned. Surely a man like Lord Belvoir didn't just make mistakes or forget or get lazy, not if he was all Sally said he was.

He felt defeated or like a rat caught in a trap, just going up and knocking on the office door. It was far from the heroic entrance he had been hoping for.

"Come in," Lord Belvoir's voice beckoned and Jack did so, removing the hood of his cloak as he stepped inside. There was little point concealing his identity now, after all.

The Vampire Lord looked up from some paper work he seemed surprisingly immersed in. To add insult to injury, he did not react to Jack's presence with horror or dismay or even that tell-tale look of the hand being caught in the proverbial cookie jar. No, he was _smiling_, smiling charmingly as if an old friend had come to visit.

"You're here," he said. "At long last. I must say I'm a little disappointed at how long it took you, but I suppose it's _de rigueur_ for the king to be fashionably late. It is _we_ who wait for him, after all."

Jack regarded him for a moment at more of a loss of what to do than he ever thought he would be. He had not anticipated this.

"Do have a seat," Septimus invited, gesturing to one of the plushy velvet-cushioned chairs in front of his desk. "I'm sure the effort to smuggle yourself in here was rather tiring. I did try to make it a bit easier for you inside by having the guards take a well-earned break. Did you appreciate that extra touch?"

He leaned forward on the desk slightly, clearly eager to hear Jack's response to this. Of course, he had none. What was there to say? This was all so humiliating and he was sure Septimus was being highly entertained by that fact.

Septimus' grinned widened.

"Oh, now don't tell me…you were expecting this meeting to be a bit different?"

"I don't know what I was expecting," Jack said honestly. "But, no…not this."

Inhaling deeply, Septimus leaned back in his chair.

"Well, we never do stop learning, do we? Truthfully though, your majesty, if you want to stand any chance of overcoming me, you're going to have learn quite a bit more. It is very clear I'm something of an enigma to you, aren't I?"

Jack didn't want to agree to this verbally, so he refrained, but Septimus seemed to have no trouble interpreting the silence.

"In any case," he continued. "You've taken the time to come here and are no doubt seeking results of some kind, so I suppose we should address the elephant in the room, as it were. I presume it was Miss Stitches who alerted you to my moral standing?"

Jack nodded. "Did you plan for her to do so?"

Septimus chuckled under his breath.

"I certainly anticipated and expected that she would, but she is no pawn. In fact, she was something of a rather large nuisance and has given me more trouble than you ever have…with all due respect, your majesty. Though I would never say so to her, I can certainly attest to you that she has the potential to be worthy adversary. In the coming days of our feud, I would recommend you listen and follow her closely. I daresay she is your worthiest bet to defeating me. In fact, I might have attempted to recruit her for my side if I wasn't already aware of how pathetically in love with you she is."

Jack grit his jaw, disturbed at the fact that he wanted to believe Lord Belvoir was correct about this just as much as he wanted to believe he wasn't. Instead, he settled with focusing on his growing hatred for him. It was a decent enough distraction.

"I'm here to discuss you and I," Jack said firmly. "You're looking to take over all of the holidays and you need me out of the way."

Septimus nodded. "Truthfully, I need every holiday leader out of the way, but you're the only one so far not readily complying. Perhaps that is why I am able to gain leverage through everyone else's hatred of you."

Jack was only slightly taken back by this mention. He knew he had made some rather big mistakes recently, but was that enough to undermine 100 plus years of being a decent leader?

"Oh don't look so surprised, Jack," Septimus chided, rolling his eyes. "True, I may have buffered out your egregious mistakes slightly, but the seeds were already planted. I couldn't have done this without you, truly."

"Enough!" Jack exclaimed, causing Septimus to raise his eyebrows and smirk and sit backwards in his chair, either impressed or mocking being so. "I'm not going to waste any more time on you. Tell me your terms. You want me to abdicate the throne to you? Take my family with me and disappear?"

The Vampire Lord looked nearly shocked and horrified, though comically so.

"Now _where _would the fun be in that? Surely you at least want to fight for your measly kingdom?"

"I never said I wouldn't. I was only trying to understand your expectations."

"I _expect _for you to put up a fight, nothing less. I want for you to do so."

Jack huffed out a sarcastic laugh. "There's no more of a fight to be had, not really. Even I can see that. I will do so in any case, but we both know it'll be futile…barring some miracle."

Septimus leaned forward in his chair, his permanent grin somehow having darkened into something far more wicked.

"Then allow me to offer one, your majesty, a gentleman's agreement, shall we say? Five years. I shall give you five and no more to regain your kingdom. In this time, I will cease all effort to undermine you…of course, that does not guarantee that the already growing rebellion against you will do the same, but it may be a sufficient amount of time for you to turn the tide. Will you accept?"

He extended his gloved hand that Jack proceeded to glare at.

"I have no reason to trust you."

"You do not. At the same time, however, you have no other option. The only thing you stand to lose is…everything, which will happen either way. So what do you say, Jack?"

Jack hesitated again as the only thing he could really focus on in this moment was how utterly out of place and demeaning this entire exchange was. Perhaps he would like to think he had come expecting nothing…the truth was very much the opposite, as he had, of course, hoped this would be the final showdown. It was anything but that. They were not fighting, but calmly negotiating the means to his defeat. What could he do, but accept the offered terms? He was in no position to argue. This was his only chance if, indeed, that is what Septimus was even offering.

So, at long last, he shook. Septimus grinned victoriously.

"And so the games begin," he said with a satisfied exhale.


	28. Chapter 26 Turning Tables

**A/N: **Thousands of apologies for the wait, my dears. I suspect this will be the norm for me for awhile, but I intend to see this fanfic through come hell or high water. I'm not sure what I can say, exactly, for this chapter, so I'll just let you dive right on into it.

* * *

She knew it was a bad idea. She knew the moment it was proposed that _she'd _get in trouble for it. There was no question about it. But it was so very hard to make friends and she rather liked Shock; Shock was fun and naughty and didn't seem to care about punishment, usually because she always managed to escape it. Victoria worried that if she didn't go along, Shock might decide not to be her friend anymore. Dang it all, if it weren't so hard to make friends…

So she returned Shock's mischievous grin and nodded her head.

"Okay, I'll unlock the door."

This she did and the two girls proceeded to bounce into the cavernous bed chambers of her parents. Victoria was already leading the charge to her mother's side of the equally-as-cavernous bathroom when she realized that Shock wasn't exactly following suit.

Instead, she had climbed onto the luxurious bed that just been made-up by the cleaning staff that morning and began to jump. Victoria watched in helpless horror as the stacks of decorative pillows –all of which had been arranged to her mother's intricate specifications- and the comforter began to get ruffled all out of place. Worse still, Shock had apparently tracked mud in behind her and was now scraping the residual off onto the bed (the majority of which smeared on the floor she had walked on).

"Wee!" Shock cackled gleefully as she tumbled up and down. "Come on, Vicki, it's fun!"

"Shock, you're _supposed _to take off your shoes…"

Victoria couldn't even pretend to be enthusiastic about _this. _If by some measure of luck she wasn't going to get in trouble for their original intention for entering the room, she certainly would now.

Shock laughed at her very-adult concern and ceased her jumping. "Oh, Vicki, you're _such_ a party pooper!"

With that, she leapt back on to the floor and scrambled past her flabbergasted friend into the bathroom wherein her eyes immediately lit up at the sight of a treasure trove of make-up. All of it was arranged how her mother wanted it to be and even one tube of lipstick out of place would alert her suspicions.

"Ooooh, this is pretty!" Shock announced, seizing a random tube of lipstick and proceeding to smear it on to her lips. Victoria winced.

"I'm gorgeous, daaaahhling!" She puckered her lips and kissed at her reflection before keeling over in a fit of giggles. Victoria couldn't very well control her laughter either, and eventually gave in despite herself.

"Come on, Vicki, let's give you a makeover!"

Before she could protest, Shock had grabbed her firmly by the shoulders and plopped her down onto the vanity stool. Hideous amounts of blush were soon applied, followed by heavy, haphazardly slapped on mascara, thick layers of dark blue eye shadow and, of course, smeared lipstick redder than fresh blood, leaving her looking like something of a small, deranged clown.

"My turn!" Shock announced, bumping her out of the way.

She then obliged to do her friend's 'makeover', knowing that each item used was just another nail in her coffin. It was too late to go back now, she supposed. She tried to make Shock look even clowny-er than her by way of passive aggressive protest, but the results seemed to only delight rather than disgust her.

"Dress up time!" Shock decided, pulling Victoria by the wrist to her mother's closet.

_No…_she begged internally. _Not mommy's clothes…_

Whatever miniscule chance of redemption that may have remained was swiftly destroyed the minute Shock pulled down her mother's favorite frock and ripped a bit of the fabric in the process.

A moment then persisted where the two girls simply stared at one another in utter and complete disbelief, unsure of what to do with that rip hanging pendulously between them. But it was in that moment that Victoria glanced down at her mother's now slightly torn dress and felt more excited than she ever had before.

All of the things she and Shock had done so far would make her mother _absolutely boiling hot mad_. From the muddy, strewn sheets to the carelessly tossed make-up, to the gloriously ruined formal gown, all of it would definitely get under her skin and drive her crazy. It was in that moment that Victoria thought of her mother's anger and irritation, not as something to be feared, but something to find entertainment in. After how awful her mother was and how she couldn't seem to stop criticizing and yelling at her, this all seemed more than warranted.

It was in that moment that Victoria's fear and apprehension turned into _satisfaction _and now there was nothing she wanted more than to destroy her mother's possessions- to fight back.

"No dress up," Victoria decided suddenly, grabbing the dress and clutching it to her. Shock was both disturbed and intrigued by the fire that had kindled in her young friend's small, black eyes. "I know something _funner_."

That being said, Victoria held up the fabric in front of her face, seized either side of the tear, and then fiercely yanked.

The sound of the silky black fabric ripping in two seemed to echo around the entire closet and reverberated in her ears. It took only a second to ruin the gown, but the moment lingered far longer than that.

Victoria looked up slowly at Shock, the both of them with mouths and eyes gaping in disbelief, apparently too overcome by the spontaneity of the thing to do much of anything right away. Finally, however, Shock broke the tension with a small little mischievous cackle.

"You're right, Vicky!" she exclaimed. "That _does _look like more fun!"

Of course, Victoria knew deep-down that this was wrong. She was going to be in _so much _trouble…but she couldn't find it in herself to care, not in this moment. For the first time in her short existence, she wanted to make her mother mad…or at least do something cruel to her.

And so, in a rush of overwhelming emotion, the two girls ripped dresses off hangers and tore into the expensive fabric, throwing the tattered pieces around, giggling and laughing all the while. Victoria had never felt so excited. It was a combination of _knowing_ she was being oh-so-very-bad…and just doing it anyway.

But this rush of adrenaline could only last so long. Eventually, they had run out of dresses and the feeling began to subside and the weight of what they had done began to sink in. Shock was still frolicking and laughing among the shreds of fabric while Victoria began to look over the mess with ever-increasing terror.

Oh, what had she done? This was so, so, so bad. She fell on her rump and began to cry.

"Hey!" Shock said, more than a little surprised. "Hey, what's the matter with you? We were having fun, weren't we?"

Victoria didn't answer. She couldn't, overwhelmed as she was with her tears.

"Hey! Hey, now that's no fun!" Shock said again, clearly offended by the display. "Don't! Stop it! We'll find something else to do! Something more fun!"

"No!" Victoria shouted. "No! Go away! I'm not playing with you again!"

Shock reeled back, perhaps hurt by what her friend had said, but pretending not to be so.

"F-f…fine! That's fine, I've got other people to play with anyway. I don't need you! Prissy little princess, doesn't want to get her mommy's dresses dirty-"

"Go away! You get out of here! Get out of here now, Shock! I'm not playing with you _ever_ again!"

Victoria even went so far as to get up and push Shock towards the closet door, though not with much success as she was not as big. Shock glared at her tearfully.

"Why would I want to play with you, anyway?" she snapped. "Nobody likes you! Nobody likes your dad anymore! They're gonna run you all out of town. Jack shouldn't even be King, he's awful at it!"

"Stop!" Victoria shrieked, helplessly throwing some of the tatters of dress at her. "Shut up! You get out of here!"

"Lord Belvoir should be King! And he's gonna be soon! Who cares about your mom's dresses? She'll be lucky to even get blood when they-"

"Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!"

Victoria had now resorted to throwing her mother's high heels and various other forms of footwear at Shock in a desperate, last-ditch attempt to make her leave. Eventually she did so, sticking out her tongue before rounding the corner and disappearing from sight, leaving Victoria sobbing and helpless in the mess.

* * *

Finishing that final stitch on the last of the parade gowns made her instinctively sigh with relief before stepping back to admire her work. Owning a tailoring and dress-making shop meant hard work and long hours, but it had been Sally's dream for so long and she loved every minute of it.

As of late, her biggest project had been making dresses and suits and other styles of formal wear for the Parade of Holidays. It only happened every ten years or so and was meant to showcase the pride and wealth of each holiday and its town. This year, however, the only confidence Sally could take in it at all was that her handiwork would look superb. Matters in Halloween Town had become so very dire. If the reports of Easter Town were as true as the hearsay claimed, she was certain things were no better anywhere else.

That thought alone lessened her enthusiasm for having finished her biggest task as it reminded her of how much danger Jack was in. This time, however, he had listened to her. He had confronted Lord Belvoir and made an agreement with him. Five years, that's all he had been granted…but it wasn't enough. Sally knew how awful this made him feel, how incompetent and useless as a leader. She always wished there was something she could say to fix everything, but the most she could promise him was that she'd be by his side when it was time for him to abdicate. It was no longer matter of 'if', but 'when', and the reminder of that made her have to sniff back the onset of a few tears- not for herself, not for the shop she would lose, but for what damage it would wreak on her friend.

Interrupting her thoughts, however, was the sound of the door to her shop suddenly being thrown open with a slam, causing the little brass bell to quiver and ring shrilly. Sobs echoed and the patter of small feet pounded across the wooden floor as two little arms wrapped themselves around her. She didn't need to look down and see Victoria Skellington to know it was her.

"Victoria!" she gasped, hoisting the small girl into her arms. "What's the matter?"

She hadn't seen her cry like this in some time and she began to dread that perhaps Victoria knew and understood more about the abdication than anyone ever thought she would.

"Me a-a-and…and Shock! S-sh-she…she did it! Shecameinand…mommy's makeup and…the dresses!"

This was all the sense Sally was able to make out of the sobbed babbling, though she was admittedly relieved there was no mention of what was to come…even if Jack _would _ need to explain that to her before too long.

"Okay, calm down…" Sally hushed, sitting the small girl on a sewing counter and brushing some of her wiry black hair from her face. "Take a deep breath…and try telling me again, slowly."

This Victoria did after a short period of hiccupping and sniffing, and finally Sally was able to put it together that she and Shock had destroyed Tivona's dresses.

"You _destroyed _her gowns?" Sally repeated, disbelievingly. "Victoria, why would you _ever_ do that?"

"Sally, can you please fix them?" she begged, pawing at her arm desperately. "Please will you fix them before mommy comes home?"

Sally shook her head. "There's no time! Besides, the only thing worse than destroying something that doesn't belong to you is lying about it. Vicky, you know better than that!"

Victoria's head fell into her hands as she cried even harder. Part of Sally felt awful that there wasn't something she could do to help her…but doing so at all would be encouraging dishonesty and teaching her that there was always a way out of facing the consequences.

Sally was on the verge of offering to take her home and help break the news to Tivona and/or Jack –as ugly as the former of those two scenarios would be-, but it was at that point that her shop door was once again thrown open. This time, however, it was Jack standing in the threshold of the doorway, seemingly relieved upon catching sight of his daughter.

"Victoria, _there_ you are!" he exclaimed, too elated by the relief of finding her to immediately notice how upset she was. When he came over and got a better look, however, he quickly turned to Sally for some sort of an explanation.

"She's done something very bad," she said simply, caressing the small girl's head to try to comfort her in her desperation and fear. "Something that she needs to tell you about."

Victoria appeared to be staunchly refusing, clutching her face in her hands and staying silent save for her crying.

"The truth _will_ out, pumpkin," Jack sighed, and it was in this moment that Sally could see just how _tired _he was, utterly burnt-out from five years of trying and failing to earn back his respect. He was clearly trying to coax and help her as best he could, but it was difficult when he, himself, probably felt like collapsing into sobs as well.

Feeling like she had two crises on her hands, Sally took over and tended to Victoria first.

"Listen to me," she said, pulling the small hands from her face. "Everything will be okay. You need to tell your parents the truth and you may get a few privileges taken away…but it will be alright. After you've told the truth about what you did, I'll fix mommy's dresses, I promise. Nothing is truly broken, okay?"

As she wiped tears from the girl's gaunt little face, Victoria began to calm down and eventually nodded in concession. Sally then turned to Jack.

"As for you," she said, soft, but also firm as she looked up into his eye sockets. "The same rings true. _Nothing is truly broken_."

Jack seemed unconvinced, but desperate to believe her. "How can you say-"

She silenced him with two fingers placed softly over his mouth.

"You still have me. You still have Victoria, and your friends…your wife. You have everything you love. Nothing is truly broken when you have what you love."

Jack nodded and attempted a smile, but it was weak and unconvincing. He then turned to Victoria and petted her head before asking her to go wait for him in the carriage outside. Never one to openly defy her father, she nodded and tearfully left the shop, a sense of doom pervading her.

He then turned his attention back to Sally.

"…the time has come," he said after a time with a grave sigh. "It could happen any day now. I'm not sure when he plans to strike…"

The tone of failure and defeat in his voice was palpable. Sally wanted to cry for him, but she knew better. She was his support right now.

"You should prepare," he continued. "That is..if you…if you still plan to come. I'll understand if you don't want to, I mean…this shop, after all…it's been your dream and-"

She took his hands, silencing him once more.

"My place has always been with you, Jack, by your side. You are my king…but you are my friend, first and foremost, as I am yours. Please don't question my loyalty. You can take it as a given that I'll be with you, always."

She dared to move a hand to his cheekbone and vaguely wonder if all these years of denying feelings, storing them away and pretending they didn't exist had rid him of them completely. It was not so for her, despite her better judgment and wishes for the contrary. To love Jack simply as a friend would be all she ever wanted, but fate had decided otherwise. She still wasn't sure why. Perhaps she needed to atone or pay for something she had been granted. After all, she considered herself blessed, very much so.

She was also blessed, she reminded herself, to have Jack in her life and be able to call him her closest friend. Life without him that year in Easter Town had been especially empty and she wouldn't want to endure that again.

It was for this reason that she quickly removed her hand. She scolded herself for knowing better.

"I will be with you," Sally confirmed again, offering a weak smile. "To whatever end you are taken."

"Thank you…" he replied. It was a simple response but she had sensed the deeper meaning, all that he could not say aloud. "Could you…I mean…would you mind telling the others for me? They need to be prepared."

She nodded, sniffing back tears. "Of course not. I'll let them know."

He held her before he left in something that was not quite a friendly hug, but not quite an embrace either. It didn't matter to her what it was, as they both needed comfort.

It ended too quickly and he was soon out the door, clambering into the carriage with Victoria and riding off back towards the castle, a place that had become less a home for them than a prison where they would wait to hear their sentencing.

Sally _was_ afraid of what would happen, but more so she was just immensely sad for all they had lost and all that they would lose.

* * *

She arrived back at the castle in a near explosive state. It seemed visiting Septimus often left her that way, particularly now when things were becoming very dire. The time of abdication neared, the moment she had been waiting for too long, it seemed…and yet, she did not feel inclined to rejoice and sing her praises to the heavens. That fact alone frightened her. She didn't know what to make of it, being rid of Jack and Victoria and taking a new husband and eventual family. After all, wasn't this what she wanted? She had certainly thought so…

Never being one to handle her confusing emotions well, Tivona resorted to getting angry and irritable because it was something she could understand and deal with. She snapped at a few servants on the way out of her carriage and up to her room. She needed sleep, of that much she was certain.

The sight that met her when she arrived, however, paralyzed her with more rage and confusion than she knew what to do with. Muddy tracks left by dirty little feet littered the floor and the ruffled-up, messy bed. It looked as if there had been some sort of pig-pen orgy in the center of the bedroom. She followed the tracks into her bathroom, finding her make-up to be strewn everywhere and definitely, most certainly wrecked, some beyond the point of any further use.

None of that, however, compared to what awaited her in the closet…all of her gowns, _ruined_, in complete tatters. To say she was livid would be a gross understatement. She was literally quaking with utter furiousness.

She didn't quite realize she was screaming until she heard the sound and knew it could be coming from no one else. Whereas such a noise might have been fairly ordinary and commonplace in Halloween Town, it most certainly was not that for Queen Tivona. It was for this reason that a couple of nearby servants came to see what the fuss was about.

"Who did this?!" she shrieked, her voice already hoarse. The servants were bewildered. "You let someone just _waltz _in here and destroy my-"

She looked up then to see Jack and Victoria sauntering guiltily into the room. The look on her daughter's tear-stricken face said it all…and should it really surprise her? Victoria hated her, after all, she always had, and for good reason, Tivona supposed. Nevertheless, she was _not _going to let her have this. Surely Victoria had already been entertained enough by how upset this made her.

"You!" she said pointedly, starring daggers at the small girl with the gaunt, white little face and stringy black hair. "You did this, didn't you?"

Jack ushered Victoria behind him protectively. Tivona was not surprised in the least. He had a horrible habit of coddling her, of always taking her side.

"Tivona, please…" he begged. "You're upsetting her…"

"She _should_ be upset!" Tivona stepped to the side and flailed an arm towards the damage done to the room. "Look at my closet, Jack, our room!"

Jack said nothing at first, instead instructing the servants to escort Victoria to her room and leave the royal couple alone to work this out. He closed the door behind them before saying calmly, "Darling…I understand this is upsetting and I do believe Victoria needs to be punished…but yelling at her the way you are is just-"

"This is why she does these things, you know," Tivona interjected in a hiss, kneeling down in her skirts to try and gather up some of the shreds. "She knows that you'll rush to her defense. You always do, no matter what…"

"I-…I'm not, I was merely stating-"

"And due to the fact that she hates me," she continued, unabashed. "She's always looking for new and creative ways to spite me…"

"She doesn't hate you!" Jack assured.

This made Tivona's fists tighten around the shreds of fabric. She stood up quickly and stormed over, right up into her husband's face.

"Yes she does!" she exclaimed through clenched teeth. "And you know why? Because she's insightful, like me. Fortunately for her, she didn't inherit your insufferably blind optimism about _everything_."

Jack seemed confused and yet she could tell that somewhere deep down…he knew what she meant and was dreading the truth.

"She loves you," he insisted. "I know you don't see eye to eye on everything, but she _does _love you, you're her mother-"

Tivona's eyes suddenly filled with hot tears, too quickly for her to do anything in the way of blinking them back.

"When will you _wake up_, Jack?" she demanded to know, her voice quivering. "When will you _stop _seeing me for what I'm not? Don't you see where it's gotten you? Your own daughter can see it and she's _five _for crying out loud! You're-…what, one hundred and something? Did you gain no insight at all in that time?"

Jack's confusion was quickly turning into something very akin to fear and he was backing away from her slowly, unable and possibly unwilling to understand what was going on.

Tivona inhaled shakily, clinging tightly to her bitter resolve.

"I'm awful, Jack. I always have been."

"No…" he said softly. "No, you're not…just because things have been difficult lately doesn't mean you're-"

"No! I am!" she spat back, on the verge of hysterics. "I'm not going with you when you leave, and do you know why? Because I've conspired against you since the beginning. This whole mess? Would have never happened if you had never married me, if you had sent me to purgatory where I was supposed to go."

She continued to stare him down as he gazed at her in horror (and not a good kind). She felt as if she was stabbing someone in the chest…over and over and over…this had been a long time coming, she knew…and it was every bit as awful as she had anticipated it would be.

"Our marriage will be annulled when you leave, I knew that from the very start…" she continued, a part of her wanting to stop this but being completely unable. "I'll marry Septimus when he takes your position. I will let you and Victoria leave as if you both are of no consequence to me. I lied, Jack…I _lied_. I was never in love with you. _Ever_. I was only ever a stupid opportunist that tricked you with magic and lies…that's it. That's all your precious wife is and ever was."

Jack had the look of someone whose entire world had just crumbled around him in two seconds flat. Tivona supposed that wasn't too far from the truth. Her stomach churned and she felt like vomiting.

"You…you cannot honestly tell me that six years of being together…" Jack was practically gasping, and for someone who had long ago stopped breathing that was most certainly not a positive sign. "…has meant _nothing_? You would just…you would just throw it all away?"

The worst part of all had to be this…and on some level, she knew it would happen. Jack didn't want to give up on her or what they had, even after she had confessed _everything_. He still saw her as something more than what she was and while she knew it was just the idea, the principle of the thing, it still hurt, incredibly so.

She walked up close to him again, staring him fixedly in the eye sockets.

"Jack…" she began, her voice broken, but resolute. "You are somehow simultaneously the most intelligent and the stupidest being I've ever met. You can talk for hours about literature or science…and still _never_ see the blatantly obvious. You wouldn't know real love if it was standing right in front of you. You wouldn't know pure evil until it stabbed you in the back. Stop doing this to yourself…to Victoria…to Sally. See me for what I really am."

He was glaring at her now, in a way that did not satisfy, but frightened her.

"I have," he said simply. "And I am _not _the one who is in the wrong."

She was taken back by his response and it was something that would stay with her for years to come and haunt her thoughts and dreams. He would offer no clarification, however, choosing instead to cross his arms and turn from her to look out the window at his broken kingdom.

"I propose," he said bitterly after a time. "That we pretend this conversation never happened until the last minute. I don't want to upset Victoria more than she already is. Will you allow yourself to be generous enough for that?"

She clenched her teeth and sucked back tears.

"Yes…" she replied, unable to say much of anything else.

He just nodded and left the room without another word. It would be many years before he would speak to her again and she predicted as much in that moment.

As soon as he was gone, she collapsed into tears on the floor…for whom and for what, she did not allow herself to acknowledge.

* * *

The day of The Holiday Parade broke not in dreary clouds, but a blood-red dawn. Jack had never seen anything so foreboding, but it wasn't anything he hadn't expected. He would take no enjoyment out of today's activities in any case. His marriage had dissolved, kept together only by the soon to be broken contract and promise between himself and Tivona that they would speak to no one of this until it was time. His abdication and public humiliation neared. Perhaps today would be the day? He had no clue.

Part of him wanted it to be over as quickly as possible. The waiting had become the most unbearable part of all of this, particularly so when he and Tivona still shared quarters, still milled around one another as they prepared to put on the guise of a content family. He tried not to look at her in the mirror as she put on make-up right behind him. He no longer knew what to make of her. She was certainly not the person he had always thought she was…but she was not as terrible as she doomed herself to be, either.

It didn't really matter, not any more. There was nothing left to say, no arguments to make. She was not in love with him, never had been, and how could he have ever really been in love with her when he did not know who she was? It had always been the idea of her, the principle of the thing…and it was for this reason that he could not be angry at her, not really. He was as much to blame for this as she.

They looked at each other after a while, her face holding that same unmovable, unemotional expression that she had been giving him as of late. No more fake smiles, no more feigned looks of love, just a complete emotionless void. It was false too, he knew…and yet more honest than anything that came before it. He simply nodded to her, indicating that he was more than ready to get this over with.

They wordlessly linked arms and left their quarters, descending downwards to the main entrance with the first few members of their escort. Victoria awaited them there with the servant escort. She was as dolled up and as silent and somber as her parents. Jack had begun to suspect that she perhaps had caught on to what was going on between them, though he didn't have the heart to confirm it to her…not yet, anyway.

In what felt like an extremely awkward gesture of finality, Tivona and Jack took her hands and led her out to the carriage. It was as much a lie, as much of a production as anything they had ever done together- the difference being, of course, that now Jack was in on the scam and felt awful for it.

The beings of Halloween Town were already crowded around the streets for the display. The look of desperation and hopelessness was more evident in their eyes than ever. As Jack gazed upon them all it became more apparent that there was nothing more he could do. He had tried and given his all for his citizens and in the end, it was not enough. They needed another savior now. Septimus? Perhaps. He certainly didn't have the answers anymore.

The three of them piled into the carriage and sat, still and vacant, as the Halloween Town trumpets played the opening fanfare. The carriage moved forward not long after this and Jack looked to Tivona to see if she would bother waving to the crowd. He saw that she was and decided this made sense, considering she was not truly giving up her position. Perhaps distancing herself from the association with him was best for her, so Jack neglected to acknowledge the crowd that used to bow and cheer for him. They had made up their minds, after all, and no attempt to show he loved them would be enough to save the effort.

For the occasion, the Holiday Council set up open portals for the carriages to ride through to make the transition between towns easier. The first one, that would take them to Independence Day Town, was swirling just over the first rise of road. Jack was normally ecstatic to get a glance at the other towns, but today...he had no clue what to expect. So many things had changed, after all.

It was here that the Halloween Town carriage met up with Independence Day's. The reception for them, as they rode through the center of the formerly quaint and now ratted-looking town, was much the same as it had been where they originated from. There were glares from worn, tired eyes...and in contrast, healthy, aristocratic Vampires that sat like royalty among them- Septimus' followers, no doubt.

Thanksgiving Town came next. With its constantly overcast sky, thick forests, high cliffs and cold beach down below, it had always been one of Jack's favorites...surely, he thought, Septimus would have ignored a humble place like this where Pilgrims lived in handmade cottages, the Natives in teepees, and the both of them worked together to hunt and garden...but that seemed to not be the case. They passed a village that had been destroyed and deserted and it was like nothing he had seen here before...a Native encampment left completely in charred ruins made him realize that the former alliance had since been severed and replaced with animosity, war. Tivona said nothing and neither did Victoria, but they surveyed the wreckage with the same awe.

In this visit, they were not greeted with bountiful gifts. They were not greeted at all for that matter, save for a family of Pilgrims that seemed to be endeavoring to hide from them and a group of Native hunters on horseback who eyed them a moment from the top of hill and then rode off. They met up with the town carriage...only to find that it had been completely destroyed.

Jack worried for the leaders of the town- Chief Samoset and his Pilgrim wife, Emily. Their union stood as a symbol of the friendship between their people and with the way things were now Jack was loathe to think of what might have become of them. He could only hope they were safe.

The next couple of towns -Valentine's and St. Patrick's- were much the same and in various stages of disrepair. It was only in Christmas town, the sole remaining area that seemed untouched, did they recieve any kind of a welcome. Jack heard Victoria laugh for the first time in a long while when a group of elves gave her cookies and a teddy bear. Tivona, as per the norm, just seemed entirely nonplussed.

The parade was brought to a momentary halt when Santa Claus insisted to take Jack to the side and have a word with him.

"What on earth is going on, Jack?" he asked, his voice hushed and gruff with worry. "I keep hearing all these reports that towns are being taken over and run down one by one...and that you, of all beings, are behind it!" His tone was more incredulous than accusing, and though Jack was grateful that he and Mr. Claus had gotten that point in their friendship, he still knew it should have been much the opposite.

"That's correct," he answered shamefully. "I am."

He explained the story as best he could, but Santa was not swayed in the least.

"Jack...! You're just going to give up your kingdom because of some power-hungry maniac?"

"I tried, Mr. Claus, I tried! The fact is, I am no longer fit to serve. I would do anything for my town and it should be my final duty as King to do what's best and let them go. You understand that, don't you?"

Santa shook his head and Jack wasn't sure if it was in response to what he was saying or shame that Jack would give up at all or something else entirely...nevertheless, it ended the conversation and the two of them climbed back into their respective carriages and set off.

Easter Town was next and it was, by far, the place Jack had been dreading most. It had been suffering more than any other and he was loath to see the kind of degeneration it had made in the past five years. It would be not be a pleasing sight at the very least, this much he knew he could count on.

The wheels of the carriage inched onward at what felt like a snail's pace, through the Easter Town portal and into the gloomiest looking countryside he had ever seen. It even rivaled that of Halloween Town and Jack wondered how this could possibly be the same place. Where was the sweet, floral scent of spring? The bright pastel colors that dotted the trees and grass? The warm sun beating down? The songs of the birds?

He could not say, but the mounting herds of giant spiders watching the procession from the tops of the grey hills were undeniable. Jack had never felt like more of a fool, not even when he nearly ruined Christmas. That had been salvageable thanks to Sally and Mr. Claus, but this...this town was far too gone for any immediate remedy and maybe for any at all. It had all been because of him, because he had acted unwisely and trusted those he shouldn't have. Why should so many beings have to suffer on account of his foolishness?

No longer the once proud Pumpkin King, he bowed his head. His crown felt quite heavy now, more so than it ever had before. Victoria must have sensed this somehow, because he soon felt her small little hand wrapping around his and he glanced at her to see big, baleful black eyes looking back up at him. He forced a smile for her sake, but it did nothing to convince her. In all honesty, he didn't expect it would. He kept their hands linked, however, needing the support it would offer as they approached the worn and crumbled-looking town gates. If they could make it through here, they would be done and that would be the biggest relief Jack could ever ask for.

But it wasn't meant to be.

As they rolled inside, there were beings waiting for them. Jack recognized them as the well-dressed, well-mannered Easter Town inhabitants they had once been, even if now they were withered and worn and sickly, with crazed looks in their eyes. When a crate of what looked to be rotten pumpkins became apparent, Jack instinctively knew they were in trouble, but it was too late to turn around.

"There he is!" one of them called, having spotted his carriage. "There's Jack the Skeleton!"

"You did this to us!" another cried.

Jack, Victoria and Tivona seemed to jostle at once, realizing they were surrounded and most likely in grave danger.

"Long live the Rotten Pumpkin King!"

This shout was followed by a single, rotten pumpkin being thrown into their carriage, landing and splatting right at their feet. Victoria shrieked and soon the pumpkins were raining down on them, the beings growing closer. Jack didn't take the time to think over a plan, because there was none for him. Instead, he turned swiftly to Tivona.

"Get Victoria out of here," he ordered, picking her up and dropping her in her mother's arms. "Get her home. Please, just do this."

Tivona hesitated only a moment before nodding purposefully. She was in her bat form quickly, a bit larger than usual this time to accomodate Victoria's weight, and set off with her into the sky.

"Daddy!" Victoria called out from above, reaching futilely for him.

"It'll be alright!" he shouted back to her, uncertain if she heard, for Tivona was ascending fast and soon they were nothing but a disappearing speck in the sky.

For the time being, he knew he needed to save himself. The Easter Town inhabitants were running out of pumpkins and had already take a claim on the carriage, pulling and pushing in some effort to destroy it, he guessed.

Jack crawled forward and lept onto the back of one of the skeleton horses, turning to his small, skeleton carriage driver as he did so.

"Get on the other one!" he yelled, having to simultaneously fight off Easter Town inhabitants that were attempting to pull him down. The other skeleton nodded doing as he was asked.

"Follow me!" Jack called to him, setting off in a gallop through the town as soon as the horse had been freed, weaving and jumping over the various desperate, blood thirsty beings that lunged for him.

It seemed an eternity before they reached the back entrance and Jack took the opportunity to heave a stone at the chain link wheel of the drawbridge. This made crossing and jumping over the closing bridge that much more difficult for himself and his driver on horseback, but it would buy them some time as they fled to the portals in the trees. They landed on the ground with less than perfect grace, but the horses continued onward unabashed.

As they drew closer, Jack saw the large vampire guards and gasped at the fact that he had forgotten they were there.

"I think if we run fast enough, we can dodge them and jump through!" he said to his driver as they rode alongside.

"Two big brutes like that? Not a chance, your majesty. Yeh just let me handle this one, yeah?"

Before Jack could inquire further, his driver had pulled a slingshot from his pocket and launched the first stone, knocking one of the guards flat on his back. The other saw this and began charging for them, making the second shot that much easier and spot-on for the driver.

With both of the guards taken out, the both of them galloped uninhibited towards the doors and leapt swiftly, one after the other, into Halloween Town.


End file.
